The New Dawn
by optimus304
Summary: After 7 months, The gang belives that thier adventures are over. But across the globe, A secret organization has created a new A.I., Based on Xana's old Code. However, this program has a different agenda. Now that gang must face the New Dawn.
1. Chapter 1

No one would have ever imagined that in the final years of the 20th century, that our world was facing a crisis beyond our wildest dreams.

That as people scurried about with their affairs. It observed , and studied. The way a predator might stalk its unsuspecting prey.

Only this threat was from no mere army, or a natural catastrophe. It would come from the mind of 2

geniuses. Wishing to keep a secret from the world that threaten our very existence.

A secret that other people would kill for. A secret that must never be revealed to the world; for the consequences it would bring would be disastrous to not just the world. But their young child as well.

And so the secret was sealed away. In more than one location. The pair of geniuses used the predator and several other tactics to hide the secret. Confident in the trust of their programmed creation.

Yet silently the predator attacked its creator's; First by removing the Wife. and then the One who created it and its well guarded secret. After wards it prepared to strike at the world. Feeling that humanity was a species that was to immature to continue governing its self. So it decide upon one logical conclusion. It never had trouble with humanity, Only the way humanity acted.

Violence, war, disease, genocide, and even worse, the destruction of their own planet.

All for monetary value and continuing to allow their species to grow in a large number. Their was only one logical decision. Termination. To put mankind out of its misery. Yet as it began to prepare for its invasion from the world wide web. It forgot one thing,

The child.

After it was brought to the predators domain with its father; it had contacted the outside world. And it was leading a resistance against it, A group of five children. After years of constant fighting. The children discovered its secret hostage. The father of the child its self. In a valiant final battle the creator sacrificed himself to protect his child, to destroy the created. At long last the monster was gone, and the world was safe. But at a cost. Yet secretly in the vast, wide open area called the Internet. The monster remains had scatted to various area's of the world wide web. A secret group that the two scientist worked for, hid from, and ran from. Also regarded our planet in the same way.

Soon they would have a powerful pawn in their quest for the completion of their goal. The threat was not over. It had just began. And the fate of our world; our future was in the hands of one small girl. But her fate would be in the hands of others.

Only time would tell. If man would ever see. A New Dawn.


	2. Chapter 2

The Nightmare

The sky was a blaze with dark and orange colors. Smoke billowed into the night sky form various areas of the city. Buildings burned rapidly as fires moved from one area to the next, their flames engulfing everything as if some wild animal were gorging itself on new-found food. It was eerily quiet, except for the flames that arched into the night sky. There was absolutely no movement at all; the city was truly dead.

A young pink haired girl cowered in fear as she moved about the area scanning for any signs of life, both friendly and hostile. _How did this happen_? One moment she was in bed, and the next all hell breaks loose. She walked wearing only her over-sized pink shirt and her slippers, seeing no one. Not anyone or anything.

She came across her school, which was her home for many years. She had some of the best times of her life here, and the worst. She met her only friends here. But now their was no one, there was nothing. The school burned as flames arched through out the campus. She noticed people's personal belongings. Backpacks, coats, shoes. Horrible thoughts raced through her mind as she wondered what happened. And more importantly where were her friends? Where was everybody?

She quickly ran to Yumi's house hoping that maybe there was hope. But when she arrived she found the building burned out and in ashes. Tears rolled down her face. Her heart raced from fear as she shook both from fear and the cold night air. She was alone. Like her parents, her friends were all gone.

Suddenly, she heard someone call her name.

"Aelita?"

She turned her head to see finally someone she both knew and cared for.

"JEREMY!" Aelita screamed as she ran for him.

He stood in the middle of the street. Wearing a dark brown sweater with khaki pants, he was sweating from the constant running and frantic searching for Aelita.

They ran to each other as they finally met, she hugged him as tears of both joy and fear ran down her cheeks, her hands shaking as she reached around his back and laid her head on his shoulder. Jeremy slowly squatted down till he was sitting on the street trying to get Aelita to calm down. He held her as she cried, saying not a word as he looked at her, his eyes also filling with tears.

"Are you alright?" Jeremy asked as Aelita slowly raised her head and stared into his eyes.

"Whats happening?" The pink haired girl asked. "Where is everyone?"

Jeremy said nothing as he slowly stood up, still holding Aelita. "Come on, we gotta go." the young boy said.

"Go where? What's happening?"

Aelita tried to get Jeremy to answer but the boy said nothing. He took her hand and lead her down an alley. The fire hadn't reached here yet. But that didn't stop them from continuing.

After a while they reached the park. The fire had not reached this area yet. The trees bent in the direction of the wind. Their leaves bristled and flowed as the wind raced away from the fire. It would only be time 'till the fire reached here as well.

Finally Aelita ripped her hand away from Jeremy and looked him square in the eye.

"Jeremy, where are we going? What's going on? Where are the others?"

Jeremy looked at Aelita with sympathetic eyes; he said. "We're going to the Hermitage. It's the only safe place left."

Jeremy paused as he turned away from Aelita and spoke softly in a weak and staggering voice.

"Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd are... dead."

The young girl suddenly dropped to her knees. She couldn't believe what she had heard. Was it true? It had to be, Jeremy wouldn't lie to her. How? How did this happen? Aelita looked up at Jeremy who was bent over putting his hand on her shoulder.

"H-How?" Aelita asked in a shaky voice.

"They were murdered." Jeremy replied in a raspy sounding voice. His eyes changed from sadness to anger. His fist closed in anger of the realizing fact he just said.

"Who did it?" Aelita asked as she slowly attempted to stop crying.

Jeremy looked at her and replied. "It wa-".

A large black and green metallic hand reached down and grabbed Jeremy by the head. The blond boy screamed as he was raised into the air. He kicked and screamed as a shape appeared behind him. Aelita screamed in horror as she saw Jeremy lifted into the air. She was pale from terror, she didn't take her eyes off what was happening in front of her. Suddenly a deep horrifying voice came from no where and spoke in a low and deep voice.

"You can never run from me child, I will find you."

Aelita's heart froze as she saw a second hand appear from behind Jeremy and brandished a large curved and sharp knife. It slowly twisted and positioned itself behind Jeremy's backside.

"RUN. PLEASE RUN AELITA." Jeremy pleaded with her as he continued to struggle free. The voice came back and spoke clearly to both of them.

"I killed your father. Now I shall kill each person you hold dear to your heart".

Aelita screamed at the top of her lungs as the knife punctured Jeremy through his heart. The blond boy screamed in both pain and terror as he was lifted in the air.

Aelita looked at her friends killer, her heart, mind, and soul, froze with fear. There in the darkness, were two glowing red eyes. They were shaped like a circle with 3 lines in the bottom and 1 in the top. She knew what they were. They were its symbols; the symbols of the monster that her father died to protect her from.

Xana's eyes. Staring at her with a fiery red passion. Looking her right in her eyes.

"You cannot run from me, you cannot hide from me."

Suddenly, the fires rose around them as the beast roared in anger at the scared girl.

"I WILL FIND YOU AND EXTRACT MY REVENGE!!"

Aelita rose up quickly from her bed. She screamed as she jumped straight out of her bed and landed on the floor. She franticly crawled to the corner and looked around the room. There was nothing. Just her computer and stereo system. A few C.D.s, but that was it. No fire. No Xana.

She slowly got up off the floor. Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she looked at the clock. 4:09. She knew she had to go back to sleep soon. She had a test in Geometry with Mr. Chelzevig in the morning and she was not ready for it. She tried to calm herself down a little from the nightmare, but was still shaking a little.

It had been 7 months since Xana and her father's death. She had been through some rough times. The loss of her father, the one person she hoped that she could save, died saving her and her friends.

She started to slowly fall into a deep depression afterwards. Her grades started to fall, and she mostly slept a lot. And worse, she had gotten into a fight with her friends. She even once blamed Jeremy for her father's death. A few days later, Jeremy talked to her telling her how everyone worried, and how it had hurt not just him, but everyone to hear the words Aelita shouted that day in the park.

She realized how bitter she had become towards everyone. What would her father think? How could she act like this? Her father would want her to be happy and to live a full life; not regretting every moment of her life.

Things did get better. Thanks to her friends she was able to get back on her feet in no time. Yumi was always there to give her advice or to help out when ever she could. Odd and Ulrich hung out with her much more than they used to. They always offered her to join them in a movie, just to hang out with them, or to play some video games at the lounge. Usually it was things she really didn't want to see. Like some action movie with pirates, aliens, and of course, superheroes; or to play some X-Box game. When they hung out, she was mostly in charge of keeping them out of trouble. But there were some times she went along and enjoyed it, and got into as much trouble as they did. Of course, it was only times when Yumi tagged along and sometimes forced her boyfriend to bend and give in to their demands; then she enjoyed herself the most. They could do some of the things that the girls liked. Odd, however, usually complained about it most of the times.

Jeremy helped the most. He explained to his parents about how Aelita was a orphan and would have to stay at the school during vacations. So they allowed her to stay with them during vacations, or on the weekends. And now whenever Aelita needed something like a new pair of shoes or something, Jeremy could use his credit card without having to think of some kind of excuse to explain to his parents why he would need a new pair of converse shoes or Nike's.

Now that Xana was dead, she could actually finish a class for once. Her grades were the best in ages. Her music career though was kind of dead. The Subdigitals broke up about two months ago, but that wasn't really a problem. She was concentrating more on her grades, so her music life might get in the way a bit.

So then why did she still feel like she was being watched? She was constantly jumping at shadows, even after Xana's death. And she still had nightmares of her mother's disappearance.

And now this dream, that awful nightmare... What did it mean? Could it be that Xana was still alive? Or would it mean Jeremy was going to die? Her dreams had always come true. Her fathers diary, her mother, her father's death. And now, Jeremy. She shook a little with fear as she thought about what she would do if her best friend who she cared for was going to die.

She reached for her cell phone. She just needed to hear his voice, to make sure he was okay. She slowly lowered her hand and put the phone on her night stand and laid back down.

"Get Over it Aelita. It was all just a major dream" She tried to reassure herself. She slowly closed her Eyes and rolled over.

"It was a dream. It was only a dream..."


	3. Chapter 3

Secrets in the Sand

New Mexico.

The humid afternoon air made the temperature jump to near record breaking temperature's. The sun baked the scorched sand as several black Suv's and two large semis made they way to a abandoned military base. Hidden deep in the cliffs.

The base was at one time the 3rd most secret place in the United states. It was here scientist experimented with several strange and unusual projects. Some were made for the benefit of mankind. Others were to cause man's destruction. It was closed years ago. Its one such project was left to rot in the search of other grander ventures.

The convoy pulled up as several men armed security personal stepped out of the vehicles. They had received a report that the supercomputer they had here was recently destroyed. How it was destroyed would be determined today.

The security teams wore black Kevlar style swat uniforms. They carried small mp5 sub machine guns and wore a army style helmet that covered the eyes with a pair of thick goggles.

The two agents were wearing fine suits. Pure black. No sign of any other color except for the white of their regular shirts. Even their sunglasses were black. These two were senior officers of the organization they worked for. And were in charge of the situation at the moment they stepped into New Mexico.

"Lets hope these worms get this right this time. Remember Brazil" One agent said to the other.

"If not then their next stop will be 6 feet under." the other agent said.

The two senior agents walked over to a lab technician that was already gathering all the Intel they needed. One of the agents was a short brown haired man with a short goatee. The other was a tall slender man with curly blond hair and sunglasses.

"I'm agent Thompson, This is agent Connors" The slender blond man introduced to the technician, the technician attempted to shake their hands but they just stared at him with a firm look on their face.

The technician was a short man with brown eyes and short brown hair. Wearing a lab coat and Grey button up shirt. The technician was surveying the site. Trying to ascertain as to what happened to cause the supercomputer's crash. Only to find more than what was just a minor computer problem.

"So tell us, what did you find" said Thompson, as he stared at the technician with his cold Grey eyes.

"I'm afraid there is more at work here than a computer malfunction." the lead technician explained as the three walked into the factory room were several mother boards were being placed in large plastic boxes.

"When we arrived this mourning, we found these mother boards were being put together." explained the technician as he pointed to one stack of boxes that were being moved out of the ware house.

"What were they being used for?" Asked Thompson. Looking around the room at the small damage that apparently took place in the room.

"Well these mother boards were originally created to help with the guidance systems of nuclear missiles back in the 90's" explained the techie as he lifted one up to show the agents. "This one however has been altered to control the brain wave patterns of a individual."

"Who created it?" asked Connors as he took the mother board to examine it closely.

The technician began to walk as Connors and Thompson slowly lagged behind. " Who ever it was, is a genius in the ways of computer software and Bio mechanics. This hardware is perhaps years beyond our own."

"Can we use it to our advantage?" asked Thompson as they approached the computer terminal to view its shattered screen

"Unfortunately no The boards apparently fried out from something I can't even describe".

Connors walked over to a bizarre scorch mark on the floor. "Whats these from?"

"That were not sure about either" explained the tech. They are all over the base. Even in the computer room. "I'm not sure but I think their from some kind of intense fire fight". The technician said as he put down the board and walked in front of the duo. "This way please."

The Agents followed the technician as they approached the computer room. The areas leading to the base were scattered with various pieces of debris from the ceiling, walls, and floor.

"What about the video logs". Asked Connors. "Have they showed anything?"

"No. It appears the logs where destroyed when the hack took place." the technician answered as he opened the room with the computer. Their were scientist in the room taking readouts of the area with small laptops and P.d.a.'s " What caused the computer itself to shutdown were these." As the scientist pointed to two large gashes in the systems core block.

"Looks like some one was in a hurry if they sliced through the core block and not the memory circuit." explained the technician as he reached around the side and pulled out a laptop.

"Now how this all started looks like a possible viral hack form an outside source. Maybe a hacker." The technician flipped through the files of the computer and came to the page he had wanted to show the agents when they arrived.

" Its the same hack we saw in other parts of the world. Brazil, Japan, the space station in orbit."

the scientist placed the lap top on the table and faced it to show the agents. " But like France and New York. We found something."

"What do you mean?" said Thompson. Staring at the series of numbers that appeared on the screen.

"Its kinda like a digital fingerprint. The only reason I can think of is because like France and New York. The computer's Internet connection was severed. Thus localizing the computer so that nothing in it could leave. Or enter."

"Okay so whats your hypothesis?" Said the short brown haired man. As he starred at the two gashes on the computer. "Was this a possible hacker, maybe possibly Schaeffer since he knows of our plans, maybe a government agency caught wind, perhaps the feds. Who?

"I believe its an A.I" The tech showed the two agents a number of codes that were still intact but dormant. "Their original signal was disconnected. So before the code could retract back with the source, They were sealed in the memory banks of the computer."

"What do you mean this is a A.I.?" asked Connors "Is it like the one were creating?"

The tech closed the screen on the laptop and brought up another screen. Several numbers and jargeld words filled the screen. The tech highlighted a signal character and enlarged it. It revealed a eye shaped pattern with 4 lines in it. " This program makes our A.I. Look like tinker toys".

Thompson realized what the symbol was. "It is Schaeffer." The tall slender agent pulled out a cigarette from his coat pocket. "He used a symbol like this in all of his work."

"Whats it mean" asked Connors.

"That's between him and his wife." Thompson stated as he lit his cigarette. "What of the finger print? Can we use to our advantage to locate him and the girl?"

"Unfortunately not in its present state." The tech answered. As he brought up the codes again and started to shift through the many different symbols and numbers. "This is only a copy of the original, The A.I. Must of figured out that some one was on to it and decide to create several copies of its self to store through the other supercomputer's." The technician pulled out a P.D.A. and tapped on the file. _Videos_. A screen came on showing similar labs and Supercomputer's. Their were pictures of robotic spiders and pictures of strange orbs that apperad to be made of liquid metal.

"Their was piece's of it stored in the other 3 computers. The one in New York held the most code that we saw. The one in France held more specifically all of its functions and parameters, What it could do and such." as the technician explained to Connors who had a confused look on his face. "And now we have these. Its main codes."

Thompson took a puff from his cigarette and turned around to face the tech. "Mr. Estrada will want to know if you can extract information from It to learn the location of the rest of Miss Shaffer's family. What do you intend to tell him?"

The tech pulled out a flash drive from the laptop and handed it to the agents. "Thats why you are here." Connors took the flash drive and placed it in a metal suitcase. He then pulled out a pair of hand cuffs and cuffed the suit case to his wrist.

"With those code we can restore the A.I. I also intend to upgrade it to not only remove the bugs, but also use it to not only find Schaeffer and his daughter. But find Both Lyoko and Carthage. The keys to Project Zion."

The two agents and the short fat man started to walk out as other members of the team and the security squad started to pack things away and began to pull away from the base.

A security officer walked toward the two agents and removed his helmet.

"Explosives are armed and ready. When the bombs go off; Not a single piece of evidence will be left of this place."

"And hopefully unlike the installation in New York, no one will notice." explained Connors as he he watched the other members of the team load all the equipment in their vehicles and prepare to move out.

"The F.B.I. Already suspect we exist. It would be a shame to leave more evidence."

The teams loaded into their vehicles and drove off away from the base. Not leaving a single piece of evidence behind.

20 minutes later the base exploded in a large fire ball. The main building and the surrounding labs collapsed and vanished in the shock wave.

When the explosion subsided, their was no sign that the base had been sabotaged. Only that the explosion was caused by faulty wiring in the electrical system...no one would suspect that it was intended to hide the worst threat man would ever know...

--

Washington D.C./ the J. Edgar Hoover building/ FBI headquarters

The office was busy that mourning. Secretary's were walking back and forth filing info for the

bureau. They were filing info from terrorists. To a recent spree of former computer labs around the world exploding with out a trace. Two agents walked toward a board room. One sported black hair and dark tan skin. He also sported a black mustache. The other was a little shorter than the other. He was a muscular, short curly haired man with a light skin complexity. The two walked with a large stack of folders. They were investigating the number of laboratories around the world that were being destroyed one by one. The two walked in the conference room and sat down. The conference hadn't started yet so the deputy director and the director had yet to arrive.

"Well here we are"said the muscular man. As he sat down in his chair. "We don't have nothing or anything to support your theory Travis, and you know that Mr. Mueller will look at you for a reason as to why."

"I know, I know George" said the tall man as he poured him self a glass of water. "After 7 months of investigating and all we come up with is a few possible leads."

Travis took a drink from his water and opened one of the folders marked Brazil. "Forget asking why. He might just go ahead and demote us all the way down to janitor's"

"Well we did find one possible lead between the labs and Mal-tech industries." Said Travis.

George flipped open his cell phone and shut it off as he waited for the senior officials to arrive.

"So how was the date with Kasey??" George asked as he leaned towards Travis.

" I didn't go." Travis said.

"What!? Man thats the 3rd girl in a year I set you up with and you stand them up, why?"

"Well you know I have my reasons." Travis said. "I mean I just feel like its wrong."

"Its been 23 years Travis. I think its time to move on. And I think they would agree." George said as he pointed toward the sky.

"OK MOM!" Travis joked. Causing George to hit him softly in the shoulder.

The bored room doors opened and the director and deputy director entered the room with other senior officials.

Director Robert Swan Mueller entered the room first. He was a slender older gentle man who was nominated as director of the FBI in 2001. just one week before September 11th so he had seen his fare share of what it means to run the F.B.I

Next to enter was deputy director John Pistole a younger man with reddish brown hair. He was a senior official and had done quiet a great deal in his time as second in command.

The director and the deputy director sat down as every one finished with their greetings and hellos

"Okay agent Travis Dalesman, and agent George Knight. You two have had several months to investigate the number of computer labs that have been destroyed in the United states as well as in various other countries.. These labs where property of the U.S. Military, and you were assigned to help other intelligence agency's investigate similar events with similar laboratories. Some areas have included. Lab 781 in the Brazilian rainforest's. The two labs in France, the lab in Russia. And the more recent lab in New Mexico. Not to mention the apparent unsuccessful destruction of the lab in New York."

The deputy director then leaned toward the mike and spoke clearly. "Gentle man as you know the CIA is also currently launching a investigation as is other intelligence agencies around the world. What have you found so far gentlemen"

Agent Travis stood up and picked up a file and started to pass documents down the table to the other gentle meant the end of the room.

"Well were to start. First off as every one knows these labs were used to house several supercomputers that have since maintained different functions ranging from the Internet, to military defense networks. Well so far we have reports of 8 different computer's reporting via their Internet connection, A shut down of some unknown reason, and then about 16 hours later we get a report that the lab and its computer have been destroyed before we can investigate the matter ."

Agent Knight then turned on a projector and showed a picture of several of the labs prior to their random explosion.

"Each lab was constructed and partially owned by Mal-Tech industries. One of the leading computer and electronics developers of the modern age, They have been in business since the late 70's. They claim that they did not receive any indication that one of their facilities had been destroyed. So naturally we felt that they might have been hiding something on the matter. We did find that the computers were originally built by a team of lead scientist from all around the globe. And two of the main scientist were Waldo Schaeffer and Antea Hopper. Waldo was born in Los Angeles , California in 1968. While Antea was born in San Jose California in 1979."

Travis then pulled up a picture of Waldo and Antea. On the screen was a picture of a slim man with glasses and a beard and to his left was a young woman with long pink hair smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"As you know Waldo Schaeffer was the scientist who unraveled the information from the Vorseas project that was discovered in the Alaskan wilderness. He deciphered it using tactics that as far as we know where practically out of this world." Travis said as he switched over to another photo of Waldo in more recent years, a little more huskier and older looking.

"He was later contracted by the US, British, French, and Japanese to help in the development of what would come to be called the world wide web." George than flipped through a file that was sitting next to him and handed it to the director and his board. "He then claimed to of created the first A.I."

"Wait, he claimed to create an A.I.?" the deputy director peered over the file as he stared at the agents.

"You mean a artificial intelligence?" The deputy director had a smug look on his face; He knew that A.I's were only found in science fiction and not in a time like the early 80's he was a little hesitant to believe what he had just heard.

"Thats correct sir. He named it Zeus. After the Greek god."

"Okay enough with the history lesson. Were does the labs, Mal-tech and Schaeffer fit in" said the director with a firm look in his face.

Travis took another drink from his water as he stood up and took over for George. He knew that the director and his staff was not happy. He knew they wanted a name and a reason as to who or what was blowing up the computer labs and as to why.

" On May 3rd 1985, They gave birth to their newborn daughter. Aelita Rose Schaeffer. After their daughter was born, Waldo contacted the FBI and enlisted into the witness protection program. He never revealed why, only that his life and the lives of his wife and newborn daughter was at risk. He claimed that he was working on a project for Mal-Tech and claimed that they were after a goal that might lead to a catastrophe on a global scale" Travis then showed every one the file and the name of the agent who was in charge of hiding the family. And also brought up a picture of the agent.

He was a older looking gentleman about the age of the director. Yet he had a receding hair line, a wrinkled and grizzled face, and also a small mustache. His eyes were wide and full. Like he was staring at a criminal when the photo was taken.

"His name is Frank Morse. He was in charge of relocating the family to the mountains of northern Colorado. They were their for 5 years under Miss Schaeffer's maiden name, Hopper. But then somehow. In 1991 Miss Schaeffer was apparently kidnapped. By who we don't know.."

"She was never seen again?" one of the other men in the room asked.

"Thats correct. She has yet to have been located."

"Proceed Mr knight." The director said

"Around that time the family relocated to a location only the CIA knew, Blaming us for the leak, allowing Miss Schaeffer to dissapear. Two months later Agent Morse retired and has resided in Colorado. Waldo Schaeffer and his 12 year old daughter dissapeard 3 years later. Their were abouts are unknown."

"So whats the point." asked the director. " I enjoyed the history lesson one of of the worlds two most brilliant and mysterious minds dissapearing but whats the catch?"

"Every lab that was destroyed was a lab that the Schaeffer family helped construct. They built them while contracted with Mal-tech. Every piece of metal and circuit he created." explained Travis as he looked uneasy, sweat was dripping down his face as he realized that he wasn't impressing the chiefs of staff.

The director looked at them And frowned. "Jesus Travis. I send you to investigate a possible terrorist act and what you bring me is a conspiracy involving a family?"

George then interrupted, "Well we felt it was a rare thing as well. But we felt we should bring it up either way. I mean.."

"You mean what? That were looking at a case involving A. an artificial intelligence. B the Vorseas project. And C. the biggest leak that both the CIA and FBI have ever had. The dissaperence of a whole family under witness protection."

"Yes I do. We feel that this is a case that has been happening in the past few years. And that further study of the Schaeffer case may reveal something." Explained Travis.

The director looked at the evidence. It was a shot in the dark but what the agents had came up with did have support. But the question was. Was it enough to weigh in.

"Okay heres the deal." The director started in "Study the case and see if theirs any connections but for god sakes.. Please be careful, Most agents call it a cursed file because 2 agents who investigated it died in a car crash and its caused former agent Morse to become a alcoholic. Understood?"

"Yes sir" said the two agents at the same time.

"Dismissed"

In the hall George patted Travis on the back as They both agreed to go to lunch first. Then to retrieve the file.

"You know you and this case have something in common" said George

"Yeah I noticed, May 3rd "

Travis looked down at the blue colored metal ring around his right finger. Had it been that long?


	4. Chapter 4

A concerned friend

"Okay then who's better? _3 Days Grace_? Or_ Daft Punk_?" Odd asked as Yumi, Ulrich and Jeremy stood by the vending machines waiting for Aelita to finally show up. Odd was performing another one of his usual question sessions. Recently the school got their hands on a few CD's from America. Their was classic rock, Jazz, and Current Rock. Some of the artist's C.D's the students actually liked. Others where a tad bit dry. Odd was testing what he called the musical duo, Meaning Yumi and Ulrich.

"Well _3 Days Grace_ is good and all, But it would have to be Daft Punk by far." said Ulrich as he faced the vending machine, trying to pick what he wanted.

Sitting next to him was his girlfriend Yumi, who was finishing her homework from last night. To Ulrich's right was Jeremy, who was drinking a bottle of water and keeping an eye out for Aelita who was running late. He knew she was having problems sleeping again. And was concerned for her well being. So he had been keeping an eye on her to make sure she was doing okay and that nothing was wrong.

" I gotta admit. _Riot, _Really was a good song. And I also liked _One-x_. But for me I don't really care for them that much. Its kinda too...you know. American." Odd looked to Yumi as she finally finished her home work.

" Well for me its always been _Nikila_ , That song _Circle_ _ ,_ Thats gonna be their best one's yet." Yumi replied as she packed her homework away in her back pack. "I keep telling Ulrich that should be our theme song."

" At least its better than that one song Hiroki suggested . _Accidentally in love _By the C_ounting Crows_. That was just embarrassing. Especially when he was playing it the day I came over for dinner." Ulrich said as he choose a Mountain Dew from the soda machine.

Odd looked at the two with a puzzled look on his face and then asked " Oh Because you remind him of a big green ogre?" As odd varnished a grin that only odd could

"Better Than smelling and acting like a loud mouth donkey." Ulrich fired back as He and Yumi broke into laughter.

"Hey that means I'm lovable then" Odd replied

"Okay, how about you Jeremy?" Odd asked noticing Jeremy hadn't said a word for a while.

"Huh What?" Jeremy replied as He was suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Jeez even when you do get enough sleep, your still out of it a lot. _Daft punk_ or _3 Days Grace_?"

"Um... I gotta go with _3 Days Grace_. Aelita and I both agree that _Never too late _Is their best one."

"Hey where is Aelita?" Yumi asked as she stood up to get something from the vending machine.

"I think I'm going to go to her room and see. She's usually up and out here by this time but its been 30 minutes." Jeremy stood up and set his water down. "I'm going to go and see if shes okay."

"Ahhh prince charming to the rescue. How romantic" Odd said sarcastically.

Jeremy walked off with out even noticing Odds comment. He had tried calling Aelita on her cell phone but only got her voice mail. So naturally he was worried. Ever since he found her in the super computer he had helped save her from trouble both in the real world and the virtual world. It was true he had a crush on her from day one. And she knew he did, so as soon as she entered the real world they spent large amounts of time together. Even after Xana's death they spent more and more time, They went to his parents on holidays, or he would take her to the mall to pick out a new pair of shoes or clothes, Or they would usually just spend time together. Their relation ship was going slow but neither of them cared, They were still young and had all the time in the world.

"I'll bet you 10 Euros she slept in. To much Myspace and You Tube again." Odd declared to Ulrich and Yumi

"Deal" Yumi agreed as she slapped Odd's hand showing that she agreed. "I say she just had a rough time sleeping again. I swear she has insomnia."

"Well she could of just drank a lot of _Live Wire_ again." Ulrich suggested as he drank the last of his Mountain Dew.

"Okay back to the subject. _Linkin Park_ or_ The Subdigital's _ Before they broke up"...

Jeremy Crept up to Aelita's room as he passed a couple of other students on their way to the cafeteria for breakfast. He walked up to her door and knocked.. their was no answer, Now Jeremy was getting worried. _Where was she.._ He wondered till the door finally opened revealing a tired and pale looking Aelita.

"Hey.. You feeling okay? You look as pale as the time you got sick from eating at the MacDonald's at the mall." Jeremy asked as he noticed she was obviously not feeling to well.

"No not really, My head hurts and I didn't sleep well again last night. Here come in." Aelita said as she stepped back inside her room.

Jeremy noticed her room was entirely clean and that her curtains were drawn trying to limit the amount of sunlight that would get in. Aelita looked like she hadn't slept in day's. She was sweating a little. And had bags under her eyes from the apparent lack of sleep. She Was still in the pj's that she always wore when she slept, But the fact that she was pale and looked sick was just unbelievable. Usually Aelita was the healthiest of the group. She Was always concerned about her figure as well. She and Yumi usually jogged In the evening and at time's Sissi would join them as well. She always tried to stay at a constant weight of 115. Yeah she was a light weight but she didn't care. She would rather be a light weight than a heavy weight.

Aelita sat down on her bed. It was a mess from her constant turning back and forth. Jeremy sat down in the computer chair next to Aelita's computer. He leaned over and towards Aelita, who was covering herself up to try and stay warm.

"When did you first start to feel sick?" Jeremy asked as he watched Aelita lay back on her pillow.

"Last night around 2, It was after I woke up from that nightmare again and I just felt really drained. Almost like I hadn't slept or ate anything in days."

"Tell me about your dream." Jeremy asked as he checked his watch. It was only 7:30. They still had 30 minutes till class started. But he still wanted to know if Aelita was okay.

Aelita pondered whether she should tell him about it. How would he react to her telling him that he died in her dream. The last time she dreamed of someone she knew dying, her father sacrificed himself to save her. But she didn't like to keep secrets from him, so it was a real decision.

"I dreamed that the city was on fire. And their was this monster looking thing chasing me and it had... Those eyes."

Jeremy looked toward Aelita with a look of confusion on his face. "What eyes"?

"The eye symbol Xana had. Their was two of them and they were his eyes." Aelita suddenly stopped talking as she rolled over to face the wall. "An..."

Jeremy stood up out of his chair and sat on the bed next to Aelita. "Then what"?

Aelita didn't answer as she stared at the wall. She could still see the very image that tormented her all night. She knew she was sick from the constant worry and fear that her dream might come true. And worried whether or not she should tell him about it..

"I saw it...kill you". Aelita closed her eyes as the words finally slipped her mouth. Their, it was out; their was no turning back from it, She felt even worse now that she had said it.

Jeremy just stared at her with a sympathetic look on his face. He was a little shocked at the news but not a lot.

"Hey it was just a dream, Nothing more. Its not like it will come true".

"Thats what you said when my dad died." Aelita said as she rolled over to face him, covering up her face with the blanket, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

Jeremy took a breath and stared out the window through a small section of the window not covered by the curtain

"Your crying again aren't you"? Jeremy asked as he placed his hand on his knee.

"How do you know?" Aelita asked as she lowered the blanket to reveal her moisture soaked eyes.

"After 3 years. I've learned how to tell." Jeremy said as he laid his hand on Aelita's forehead, he looked in to her big green eyes.

"Its just a dream, Its not going to happen because. I wont let it happen. Your safe now. No one is looking for you and no one is trying to kill you. you're not alone any more".

Aelita slowly lowered the blanket and sat up. "You right. I shouldn't let this get to me."

"Look, I'll tell the nurse you're not feeling to well, she,ll come down and check on you. You get some rest and I'll check on you between class's okay?"

Aelita yawned as she nodded her head in agreement. She knew that she couldn't go through the day in her current condition. "Can you bring me something from the cafeteria?"

"Yeah sure. I think its Subs today anyways. That is unless Odd eats every last one again like he did on pizza night" Jeremy joked a little as he saw a similar familiar smile appear on Aelita's face.

Aelita sat up and hugged a unsuspecting Jeremy. "Thank you Jeremy."

"Your welcome Aelita. Its really no problem."

Aelita looked at Jeremy and frowned a little. "No. Not just helping me feel better. Everything from finding me, Bringing me to earth, saving me from Xana over and over again, And everything you've done in the past few months. If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't even be here right know. And i've never really had the chance to actually thank you so. Thank you."

Aelita stared Jeremy in the face as he stared back. Time seem to slow down as they stared at each other. Aelita started to lean slowly toward Jeremy.

Jeremy also began to lean towards Aelita. And then...

They were suddenly interrupted by Jeremy's cell phone.

"Hello?, Oh hi Yumi. Yeah shes okay, Shes not feeling to well. She didn't sleep at all last night cause of these nightmares she was having, yeah she's not going to class. Okay I'm on my way. Later."

Jeremy hung up as Aelita got up out of bed. "I gotta get to class. I'll stop by the nurse on my way so don't worry."

"Okay good luck in Mr Chelzivigs class."

Jeremy shrugged as he realized he had a test Due today and shuttered in fear knowing that he was not ready for it.

"Now theirs something to fear." Jeremy said jokingly making Aelita giggle a little.

Jeremy walked out the door as Aelita laid back down in bed. She felt a little better after Jeremy's visit. She rolled over and stared at the wall as she slowly drifted back to sleep..

Odd and Ulrich were already seated in Miss Hertz class when Jeremy walked in as the final bell rang. He walked over to his desk and sat down as he prepared for their latest session. Sissi walked in a little late, but Miss Hertz didn't even notice her while she was busy writing on the chalk board.

"Hi Jeremy." Sissi said as she walked in and walked over to sit in the back next to Herb.

"Oh hey Sissi" Jeremy replied as she walked by. Frantically trying to find his homework from last night.

Sissi walked past Ulrich and Odd and said helloTo them as well.

"Hey Sissi" Ulrich replied as she walked past them

"Well miss Deva queen barley made it, wasn't it 3 more tardies and you're out of cheerleader squad again?" Odd quirked as sissi passed by.

"Hey its not my fault your ridiculous oder keeps driving me away from here" as Sissi sat down next to Herb.

"Oh, she got you their man." Ulrich replied as he faced Odd chuckling a little. "That was a Such a burn dude."

"Eh lucky shot. I'll get miss pop star back some how."

For the past 7 months. Sissi really changed a lot. She was no longer tried to break Ulrich and Yumi up. Instead she actually became more of a friend to both of them then any one would of thought. She also would hang out with Jeremy and Aelita when ever she had the chance. She would give Jeremy Advice on things that he and Aelita might try to do for fun. Like movies, concerts, and school dances. And she would jog with Aelita 3 times a week at night. She also attempted to give Aelita fashion tips and tried to get her to try certain makeup to impress Jeremy. Even though pretty much everything she suggested was so pricey, it would give Jeremy's parents a heart attack when it cam time to pay the credit card bill. That, and Aelita only liked to wear Clothes that where pink. It was her favorite color after all.

"Okay class settle down." Miss Hertz started in as she normally does. " We have a new student today. Will you introduce your self deary"

The class turned to see a tall slender girl with long blond hair. A short white t-shirt and a matching white skirt. Most of the guys in the room suddenly couldn't take their eyes of her. Odd the most. He had a look in his eyes as if he had just seen the steps of heaven and lived to tell about it. The young girl stood up and walked to the front of the class and stood next chalk board

"Hello I'm Tanell Lewis. I'm from the United States and I live in Miami Florida, and I'm really impressed with school and all its _nice_ students and faculty.

Almost every boy in the class except Jeremy and Ulrich suddenly said hello at the same time. The young girl then walked back to her seat as Odd just continued to stare as she walked past their table.

Ulrich waved his hand in front of Odds face, the goofy kid never even blinked for a second. He leaned over to Jeremy and mentioned Odd's comatose state.

"Eh. Probably in shock." Jeremy noted. "Along with every other boy in the classroom".

Tanell sat down in the back row. Across the aisle Herb was literally drooling. It was obvious he had forgotten about his crush on Sissi and was now starring at what he thought was a goddess. Sissi wasn't impressed though. She saw the girl as a Britney Spears wanna be. Plus her fashion wasn't as good as hers. So she just turned the other way.

Ulrich leaned over to Jeremy and asked him how was Aelita.

"She was up all night last night with that horrible nightmare. So she didn't sleep to well. It stressed her so badly that she fell ill from it."

"What did she dream about?" Odd asked finally coming out of his trance.

" I don't think I should tell you. It was kinda private."

Odd leaned over and asked. "What she had a dream about you going out with another girl"

"No Odd!!"

Jeremy spoke so loud that Miss Hertz even broke off her lecture.

"Jeremy!! do you you have something to add??"

Jeremy turned around and faced miss hertz "No ma'am sorry."

Miss Hertz turned to continue her lecture. Ulrich elbowed Odd in his shoulder and gave him a cold look. "Dude, Hold the jokes that you know will piss people off till after class. Remember the last time when you and Herb almost got into a fight because you made fun of Sissi's makeup."

Odd smiled a little as he remembered that day. Sissi had ran out of makeup and she came to class with none on. So Odd merely asked if it was Halloween. And when Sissi said no. Odd replied that she should take the mask off then. Of course Herb got mad and tried to tackle Odd for no reason. Yeah he got several hours detention but hey both the joke and seeing Herb try to beat him up was worth it.

After class Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremy walked toward Mr. Chelzivigs class. Surprisingly Ulrich was ready for the test. While Odd and Jeremy had spent days studying. Odd was actually jealous of Aelita getting out of the test. Jeremy thought he was ready but wasn't sure if he was or not. But he was ready either way.

"So can you give us some detail about her dream? Like what did she see?" Odd asked as they entered the room and sat down.

"Well, she said she dreamed about the city on fire and this monster with Xana's symbol for eyes was chasing her." Jeremy made sure to leave the part with his death out. He figured that should stay between him and Aelita.

"You don't think its one of her little fortune telling vision's again, do you ?" Ulrich asked as he sat down and pulled out his study guide to go over some last minute studying. "I mean in the past, her dreams have been kind of like vision's. You don't think thats a sign do you?"

"No Xana's dead. The supercomputer's been shut off for months and their no sign of any thing Xana related happening. It was just a bad dream was all."

"A real bad one from the sound of it. I mean she's had the same dream for 5 days now." Odd included as he pulled out a pencil.

Jeremy sat down as Mr Chelzivig walked in and started to hand out the tests. Right away Jeremy and Odd could see Ulrich whip through it as if he was cheating. Jeremy sank in his seat and began to work on his test. Man this was going to be a tough one...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

The Dark Approaching Storm

In a Underground laboratory near Los Angeles. Lab techs were busy working away on their various projects. They were some of the world greatest minds in programming, physics, chemistry, and biology. They were working in a darkly illuminated room. In the center was a large towering, reddish green Supercomputer. It was shaped like a pyramid and was connected to several large cables running across the room towards the terminals that sat on the large number of desks in the room.

The two agents from New Mexico Walked out the elevator in the far room. They were still carrying the brief case holding the Flash drive with the section of AI codes from New Mexico. They walked into the main laboratory, In the room was the large pyramid shaped supercomputer, two story's high standing in the middle of the room. Around it were smaller lab sections with technicians studying all different types of code's in a Strange almost unearthly text.

The two agents approached the main office were the head of the lab was sitting in his office Reading over several cases that were strangely interesting. The case of Peter Duncan and a case of Uranium that was never found. Several supercomputer hacks around the world, and the Vorseas project.

"Mr. Estrada, We brought the code's for the AI" Conner's said as he laid down the brief case on the desk.

"Excellent. We can finally finish Xervix on time." The old man behind the desk said as he stood up.

Estrada was a short old man with perfectly jet black hair. He wore a nice black and Grey suite and brandished a single piercing on his left ear. He was of Mexican decent and was one of the leading members of Mal-tech industries.

"Agent Conner and Agent Thompson, You two have done an outstanding job. With the code's you have brought us. Shaffer's AI will be reborn as our own. As Xervix"

The lead scientist walked out with the flash drive as the two agents followed them. He slowly walked to the large supercomputer in the middle of the room and the installed the flash drive in one of the computers many usb ports.

"ATTENTION!!" Estrada spoke into the comm speaker. "We will know begin operation second coming. Prepare all stations for the birthing."

The staff in the room soon started working hard and tediously preparing several computers and servers for what they were about to do.

A staff member approached Estrada and showed him a brief picture of what the AI would look like

"With what we have designed and specified for the initial design and look of the AI. We have programed it to look like this when its finally Online."

The tech opened the design and showed it to Estrada. The creature was human shaped with black and green colored armor. It had a strange tube on its right hand and a large pair of black bat looking wings. It had a wolf like face with reddish eyes. Its eyes were the shape of the very symbol that Franz Hopper used in all of his work. On his head was a helmet with small pointed horn's at the very middle of the helmet, hanging over his forehead. And 3 smaller horns wrapping around the edge near were the face was exposed. On its chest was a kinda roman armor plating, and on its side was a weapon. A large scythe. With a twisted vein looking handle. The edge of the blade was serrated and also brandished another symbol on it.

"Excellent." Estrada explained as he closed the design and walked over to the main terminal. Conner's and Thompson stood next to the door of the office as the supercomputer started to glow and hum a kind of soft buzzing noise as the techs continued to prepare for their creation.

"Sir we have our virtual envelope ready, our data intergrater ready, all of program Xana's codes and records are ready. We Are ready to begin virtual creation of the body." one of the tech announced as he read down the list of items that were in the green.

"Very well." Estrada confirmed as he walked over to the main terminal and finally typed in his authorization. The screen ran through a number of codes before it finally displayed the words

"Execute y/n.".

"And know Ladies and gentleman. A project that has been several years in the work's will now become a reality. For years we have stridden for the Keys to Zion. And know this servant will retrieve those keys. Our monster will rise from the remains of another monster. And will reveal itself to the world. What the Schaeffer family has hid from us for so long will be revealed. And at long last. Our goal will be in our grasp."

With that long speech, Estrada reached across to the key board and finally pressed Y.

The machine started humming louder as it glowed. Deep inside the machine a series of code were drifting around, till the machine started to spin these code together. Soon their was a flash and the codes started to form a being. The being that was on the design sheet that Estrada had seen. It's Eyes suddenly blazed Open with the Eye of Xana. It roared in a high peached scream as it spread its bat like wings from its back. The beast then calmed down and looked at its self. It had no idea what it was. It then noticed a virtual screen appeared. It starred out the window into the human world. As it looked at the lab technicians working hard to finish up its creation.

"Sir the main body is active. As is its Virtual memory banks." One technician declared

Jerald turned to Chris and asked if it was finished.

"I'm not sure. I'm no computer whiz my self. All I know is that its suppose to do our dirty work for us."

Estrada flipped a switch next to the flash drive and brought up a menu. He clicked on the operation FILTER. "Beginning Xana code memory install know."

Inside the computer the AI starred at the humans in curiosity. It wondered what they were doing. Then suddenly a Bright light appeared above it. And a series of black and red codes filtered into its head. The AI Screamed in pain as the code imbeded themselves into its core program. Suddenly it remembered things. Waldo and Antea Schaeffer. The old Renult factory that was once its home. The supercomputer that was stationed in, The keys to Zion, Carthage, And more importantly. The children. The children who had tried to kill it. And those two out of all of them. The boy and the daughter of its creators. How it despised them most of all. They were its most hated enemies, the worst of group and how they and Waldo worked together to kill it. Then it finally realized that it could not remember them. It had no idea who they were. Or what their names are. Finally it remembered that it was dead, but know it was alive, alive and well. It finally had a body and voice. And now a new name.

"XERVIX!!" the AI growled as it was finally finished and complete. "I am Xervix.

"Yes you are." A mans voice came through out of no where as Xervix floated their in a blank, black space. "You are the clone of Xana. A program that was created by Waldo Shaffer. And know you are reborn by me. Emilio Estrada. You're master."

"Why have you recreated me ?" the monster demanded as it starred out the window at its creator.

"We share a mutual thought my friend. You feel That humanity is to immature to survive ungoverned. I feel Humanity is to sick to survive. To twisted. They need order to continue into the next century. We tried to Make the Schaeffer's realize that but they didn't. They felt that humanity deserves the right to choose for themselves. So they went into hiding. We did however find the wife."

"Where Is she?" Xervix asked as it crossed its arms.

"She has been..._sleeping_ For the past 18 years. She chose her fate. But when we captured her we realized she was not the one we needed. It was her daughter, Aelita Schaeffer." Estrada explained as the AI listened.

"AELITA!!" the monster bellowed as its eyes glowed red with hatred.

"Yes. We need that girl. We need the keys to both Lyoko and Carthage. For the keys to Zion." Estrada said

"What is Zion." Xervix said

"That you will know in time. Here is what you should do. First find your original computer. Their you will upgrade it to you're specification's." Estrada removed the flash drive and installed a new one. "In here you will find the original code for Lyoko. There are 5 sectors. A forest, a desert, a glacier and a mountain, and the main section. But secretly there are also 5 others. We know this because they where in Schaeffer's original schematics. This code will replenish those sector's. Each sector holds one fragment of the key and the location of Carthage. Carthage as well will have the same sectors. You will need to find the keys to Lyoko to find the keys to Carthage. These code's will also help you create several new servants to assist you. Use it well."

"What of the Infidels that killed my earlier version. They will have shut down the computer?" Xervix asked as the code's were downloaded into his program. "And I want revenge on those fools."

"You may have you revenge on the warriors. But you must locate Aelita Schaeffer and any one she has associated with. She is the Key Bearer. We need her for the keys to Zion." Estrada explained

Xervix knew who Aelita was. But Why did Estrada want her? What was the reason?

"I will think of a way to get them to turn on the supercomputer. What do I do when I find the keys?"

Estrada looked through the window as the AI starred back. "When you have the Keys and the Key bearer you will report to us were you will then weep your reward. You will be materialized in our world and will help us govern this world."

"What is Zion?" Xervix demanded

Estrada noted this. It was learning much to fast and was asking to many questions. Nevertheless, he knew that if Xana's original programing was working. It would lead them straight to what he needed then he would delete the AI before it was to late.

"You have your orders, now go and don't come back till you have the keys."

Xervix growled and agreed as a bright white vortex appeared next to him. He then turned and revealed his bat like wings, as he flew into the vortex. He knew that Estrada might double cross him. He calculated that he had to outsmart Estrada. After all he was a mere human. Regardless if Estrada built him from the remains of Xana, he was still a incompetent creature. One who was expandable. He didn't need Estrada, instead he would use the foolish scientist to his advantage. But first he had to get the kids to turn on the computer...and he knew how...

The cafeteria was busy with students standing in line waiting for their chance to get their lunch and sit down with their friends. Today it was subs and chips. Something the students had been requesting for a while. So eventually the cafeteria workers finally gave in to the students request and decided to give it a try. Odd stood in line anxiously waiting for his turn. He was the one who decided to try to convince the cafeteria ladies to give it a try. He was tired of mashed potato's, soup, and the assorted Salisbury steaks. Already sitting down at the table was Jeremy, Ulrich and Yumi. He hoped that they would of saved him a spot but unfortunately they waited to long and decided to just go ahead and get their lunch and sit down.

"Hey cutie." Odd heard as he turned around to see the Tall cute new blond girl standing right behind him.

Odd started to studer a little. "Oh hey their uh...Tanell was it?"

"Mmm smart and cute. I like you." Tanell giggled back with a smile that made Odd sweat even more.

"Do you think yo could be a dear and let me cut in front of you?"

" Yeah sure of course you can. I always say, cute ones first." Odd replied back trying to sound confident and cool at the same time. Not realizing he was actually next in line.

"Well your definitely on my list then." She replied as she walked in front of Odd and grabbed her lunch.

Odd looked at her as she walked away. First day here and he was already on her list. He liked that. He had made a impression on her. And he would definitely attempt to collect on that deal later.

Odd walked up to the lunch table and was finally ready to receive the fruits of his labor. He spotted The main lunch lady Rose. Who looked at him with a sign of grief.

"Hey Rose." Odd greeted as he laid his try on the table looking for any sign of the submarines he had waited all day for. "Let me get one of those awesome subs you made."

"Ehh sorry Odd. The new girl took the last one. We ran out of Bread and meat for the subs minutes ago as well. Fraid you were just a little to late." Rose said as she brought out some spaghetti and meat balls.

"WHAT!!" Odd whined as he looked to rose as if it were some kinda joke. "You mean after all that hard work I just missed it. This sucks."

Odd grabbed some spaghetti and meat balls and walked over to the table. Every where he saw he saw other students enjoying their subs. He really felt left out, after all he was the one who managed to get rose to even give it a try. And for the fruits of his labor all he got was, _sorry no more Odd._ And got a scoop of the same food he had grown tired of.

Odd finally walked to the table and sat down. Yumi and Ulrich noticed Odds lunch and starred as the Blond sat down and silently ate his food.

"Uh.. you do know that were having subs don't you Odd." Yumi asked as she drank some of her Gatorade she got from one of the vending machines.

"Yeah and they ran out of subs. After all I did and not even one reward for my contribution to every one. Not even a thanks."

Ulrich took a bite from his sub and looked over towards Odd and said thanks for the Sub's

"Haw haw very funny." Odd snapped back as he started to stir his spaghetti. "If only I hadn't let Tanell cut in line."

"You mean the new girl you were Drooling over?" Jeremy asked as he tried to hide Aelita's subs from Odd even though he hadn't noticed he did want to take that chance.

"Yeah her." Odd smiled his cool and casual smile like he always had when ever he had a chance with the ladies. Yumi though always thought it made him look like a creep. "She said I was on the top of her list." Odd spoke with the same, glory filled voice he always had when it came to girls.

"How do you know she didn't use you to cut in line?" Yumi asked as she finished off her drink.

"Oh no, she didn't use me. She gave me one heck of a wink. You know like the kind You always give Ulrich."

This caused both Ulrich and Yumi to blush as they tried to hide it from Odd and Jeremy. Even though it was the truth.

"So have you seen Aelita lately Jeremy?" Yumi asked as her face finally returned to normal and she turned to face the boys.

"I'm going up their after lu..." Jeremy was cut off when at that moment Aelita walked into the lunch room looking as healthy as ever. She spotted the gang and walked over to the table and sat down.

"Hey guys, how was the test ?" Aelita asked as she settled down at the table and looked at every one.

"Well I feel good about it. Jeremy I'm sure did. But Odd did, Well." Ulrich started to stammer off as he looked at Odd.

"Great as usual." Odd said as he finished his spaghetti.

"In other words you failed." Yumi joked as she stared down the table at him.

"Yeah pretty much." Odd answered back .

"So are you feeling better?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah I think all I needed was a good sleep. I slept for about 5 hours but I feel much better."

Jeremy pulled out the sub's he had saved for her and passed them to her. Odd saw this and spoke out in astonishment. " HEY!! you save food for you're her, but not for you're best friend?"

"Well let see." Jeremy said as he held the sub in his hand and pointed back and forth. "Odd or Aelita.

Hmmm... Yeah i'm going to say Aelita."

"Thanks a lot you, couldn't even help out a friend." Odd said as he folded his arms.

"Here Odd il share." Aelita said as she split the sub in half and handed him half.

"Thanks. You're a true friend, unlike some other people that I wont name!!" Odd said as he looked around the table.

"Hey I could of given you some.' Ulrich said as he stood up to dump his tray.

"Well why the hell did int you say anything?" Odd asked as he started to take a bite out of his half of the sub.

"Uh you didn't ask." Ulrich responded as he walked away from the table.

"Oh...dang. So do you guys wanna hang out in the rec room tonight. I wanna try out that new pool table tonight."

"Il play you Odd" Yumi replied as she handed Ulrich her tray after he came back to the table and offerd to take it for her. Ulrich also agreed to play as well. "What about you guys?' Yumi asked.

"Oh im terrible at pool." the pink haired girl at the table spoke as she finished her sub.

"Just ask Jeremy. When we were at his house last weekend, I kinda...well..hit the ball to the point where it flew off the table."

"It came this close to hitting Patrick. Funny but ehh. Other than that il play."

As Ulrich was walking back to the table he noticed William over in the corner. He was sitting by himself trying to study. William looked up to see Ulrich staring at him, William tried to ignore him but instead closed his book got up and walked out of the lunch room. As he left, Ulrich couldn't take his eyes of him. Ulrich then walked back to the table to join the others, who were getting ready to leave.

After that the gang got up to leave for their afternoon classes. As soon as they got up though the lights went out. Their was'nt a flicker or anything they just went out. Every one in the cafeteria stood up and started talking loudly as the light's finally cam back on. Suddenly the lights glowed brighter as they hummed louder and louder.

"Whats going on?" Odd asked as suddenly their was a loud explosion.

Every light bulb in the room suddenly exploded at the same time. The Explosion was powerful enough to send glass flying at dangerous speeds. Kids screamed in fear as some bolted for the door, while others took cover under tables. Ulrich used his jacket to cover him and Yumi, as Jeremy grabbed Aelita and hid under the table. Odd covered his head and ducked down near the floor as glass and metal fell from the ceiling. The electrical outlets around the room started to explode in order as they hissed and fizzled from some unknown electrical surge.

The machines in the lunch room suddenly blew away from the wall. Others caught fire as they kicked on as if they were being used normally. Rose and the lunch ladies in the back scatted as the microwave exploded and sent pieces of shrapnel flying in all directions. A large piece of glass landed next to rose as she fainted from fear.

The sudden chaos subsided as the lights and outlets all blew out. The room was eirealy silent as kids in the lunch room came out of hiding and ran out the door in fear. Some of the kids left shaking in fear as some of the younger kids left crying a little from the sudden chaos that ensued.

Ulrich lowered his jacket as he looked Yumi over to see if she was okay. She was a little shaken but okay.

Odd looked around the lunch room as he saw outside the windows other student and faculty running to the cafeteria. He saw Jim running with a first aid kit.

"Hey are you alright Odd?" Odd turned to see William walking into the room. He saw the whole thing on his way out. He left the cafeteria and was on his way to his room when he heard the explosion. He immediately ran into the cafeteria to see if any one was hurt.

"Yeah I'm good."

William shook his head and walked over to a table to check on some younger students that where sitting on the floor. . Odd turned to see Jeremy and Aelita crawling out from under the table. As they stood up and looked around to see several kids were cut from the flying pieces of glass and metal.

Jeremy lead Aelita outside. She was shaken but okay. She stopped to help another student up as he tired to get on his feet. Thats when she noticed what was on Jeremy's arm.

A large piece of glass was jabbed into Jeremy arm. Aelita pointed it out to Jeremy as she walked over to him. He looked down and finally noticed the sharp pain in his arm.

Jeremy tried to remove it but it hurt to much. "I must of got it when I threw you under the table."

Jeremy said as he winced in pain. As he starred at it.

"Does it hurt?" Aelita asked as she looked at Jeremy and back at the glass.

"Yeah it does." Jeremy squeaked as he tried to remove it again.

William walked over from the other side of the room, when he noticed Aelita and Jeremy. He walked over and noticed the large glass in his arm. He pulled back as much of Jeremy brown turtle neck sleeve as possible so that he could get a better look at it.

"What ever you do, dont remove it" William said. he grabbed a couple napkins and placed them around Jeremy's wound. He raised Jeremy's arm up high as he lead them to the door.

"Why?" Aelita asked.

"You can cause more damage if you remove the glass. Right now its acting like a stopper to keep you from bleeding any more." Will said as he lead Jeremy and Aelita to the door.

"Okay, go get it looked at." William instructed Jereme and Aelita as he led them outside. "Their's a Ambulance over their, Good luck."

They thanked William as they walked outside. They walked out in time To see police, fire department and paramedics pulling up to the school. Aelita walked with Jeremy as a medic ran up to them and escorted Jeremy to a waiting ambulance. Aelita walked with him as she notice Odd and the others finally spotting them near a police car.

The medic looked at the wound and grabbed some bandages.

"Boy you're lucky." The medic spoke as he pulled out some tools and stitches. "It barley cut into you're arm. Missing most of the veins in you're arm. If they were cut then you would need some serious medical attention."

"I'm not that lucky." Jeremy replied. "It still hurts."

"Actually theirs only a few kids who got hurt. And their injuries are not that severe."

Aelita held Jeremy's hand as The medic prepared to remove the blade. The medic took a spray out and sprayed around the wound. Jeremy's arm tingled a little as he noticed the medic a pair of clamp like instruments to help cut off the blood supply to the wound. Jeremy's arm tingled a little as he noticed the medic pull out a pair of what looked like tongs and prepared to remove the glass. Aelita closed her eyes as the medic placed the tongs on the glass. She heard Jeremy shriek a little as the glass was removed from his wound. Jeremy saw a little bit of blood trickle down from the wound. The medic sprayed the wound again as he pulled out a needle and thread and started stitching the wound.

"So what do you know about what happened?" Jeremy said.

"I'm not sure. I heard that their was a severe power surge from the power plant. Dont worry it should be fine."

Jeremy noted this as he stepped out of the ambulance.. "Hows you're arm?" Aelita asked as she stared at the large bandage on his arm.

"It's okay, it hurts but not real bad." Jeremy Answered as they walked over to the others.

Ulrich and Yumi where sitting on a bench. They where watching as some of the students who where hurt where loaded into the ambulances and carried off to the hospital's. Odd was walking back to them with a couple of sodas. He was carrying about 5 and also looked a little stressed out. Odd couldn't understand just how he avoided getting pelted with shrapnel. He literally just stood their as the glass and metal flew every where.

"You okay Einstein?" Odd asked as he handed Aelita and Jeremy their soda.

"Fine. What about you guys?"

"I'm good. And so is Ulrich." Yumi replied.

"Not a scratch, I must be indestructible." Odd joked trying to releave the tension in the group.

"So William helped you out Jeremy?" Yumi asked

"Yeah. I need to thank him later." the blond boy spoke as he rubbed the bandage.

"Umm I hope I don't scare any body but you don't think that what caused this was you know who?" Yumi asked as she looked around the now full school yard.

"Actually I heard some of the police talking and they said the Transformer surged badly and exploded so I doubt it was." Odd replied as he pointed at a large burnt piece of metal on a power pole.

Yumi stared up at the transformer in question, It was fired and blackened, their was pieces of it on the ground and it showed signs that it caught fire. Yumi thought that maybe it really was just a coincidence. But after all the years of Xana Attacks, she couldn't shake the fear off so easily.

"I don't think its you know who. But it is interesting though that it happened when we were at lunch" Yumi stated as she stared at the apparently blown out transformer. "I mean look at that thing. It looks like some one shot it with a bazooka or something."

"I can run a scan later...just to be safe." Jeremy said

"I thought you needed the Supercomputer for that?" Ulrich said.

"No. Its to find any sign of Xana on the Internet. I don't need the supercomputer for that." Jeremy said.

"Well I heard that classes are going to be canceled for the rest of the day while the power company checks the other transformers on the grounds. You guys wanna go into town and get some air?" Ulrich asked.

The group agreed as they walked back to their dorms to drop off their bags. Aelita looked back at the cafeteria in time to see William walking back to his dorm. Since he was freed from Xana, he had been a quiet, silent person. He was always their to help the others out when they needed it. To Aelita and Jeremy, William was OK. Sure he still remembered what he did when he was controlled by Xana. But it wasn't William who commuted those acts. It was Xana. So in their mind there was nothing to really forgive him for since it wasn't his fault. To Ulrich and Yumi, They still had their doubts. To Ulrich. William reminded him of a stalker in the days before Xana kidnapped him. He remembered all the grief William had caused them and wasn't ready to forget it. Yumi just wasn't sure. She originally liked William. But over the months he became a little creepy. She never wanted him to know about Lyoko or the factory. But eventually she was out voted and he was let in. When it came to letting William know that she was done with him, he took it pretty hard. He walked around like a zombie for a few days and looked completely miserable. She had tried to avoid William a lot, since she felt uncomfortable around him. Odd was half and half. He felt that William had matured a lot since his return. But then again he thought that by hanging with William, he might cause problems with Yumi and Ulrich.

"Hey come on slow poke" Odd shouted halfway across the school yard.

Aelita snapped back to reality as she walked past the transformer. She couldn't shake the feeling that their was more to this than a fried circuit or wire..


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 4

Even Heroes have Problems

Washington D.C./ the J. Edgar Hoover building/ FBI headquarters

Travis's office was a littered mess. Papers and files were strung all over the room as the two men looked over a series of records on Waldo Schaeffer's life. Birth records, social security number's, job history, and death certificates.

"Graduated from Harvard at the top of his class's in physics, psychology and archeology at the age of 24. Graduated M.T.I. In the field of computer programing and design in at the age of 29. After graduation he was employed by the U.S. Government and by Mal-Tech industries."

George read down the list as Travis looked over his shoulder and read down the list as well.

"Father was, Harold Schaeffer Deceased, and his mother was Emily Schaeffer. Also deceased."

Travis walked over to the table and grabbed Harold and Emily Schaeffer's records. He flipped through till he found their death record's.

"Says here Harold died in a car accident; And Emily died of lung failure. Harold was 56, and Emily was 47." Travis read from the file.

"What year did they die?"

Travis suddenly stopped and looked at George. "Harold died on august 7th 1984, Emily died the next day"

George turned around in his chair to face Travis. "Thats one hell of a coincidence, Because thats when he quit Mal-tech."

"Whats the reason for his departure?"

George turned around and read from the computer. "Says medical issues."

Travis place the files of Waldo's mother and father in a pile of other files that were worth of investigating.

"Okay well I think we got Waldo covered pretty well, lets try his wife."

George typed in Antea's social security record. Only to find that the number was not found. George tried typing again only to get the same answer.

"This number is correct. ain't it?"

Travis walked over to the computer. "What do you mean, Thats her social."

Travis walked over and tried to re-enter the number again only to get the same result.

"Actually I cant even find anything on her here. She has a birth record, Born on may 1st to Tim and Robin Hopper in San Jose, California. But after that theirs nothing. No school record. Nothing except her college transcripts. She went to MTI and went to University of California. And she worked at...Burger king and went to work at Mal-tech around the same time Schaeffer did. They were Married on May 1st 1980."

George smirked at the news. "Nice little birthday gift. But what I don't under stand is their no record of and Tim or Robin Hopper. I have one Tim Hopper from Portland Oregon. And another in salt lake city Utah. As for Robin Hopper. I have one in Woodson Illinois and another in New York city. But not any of the two living in San Jose California. As for Antea , their one in Corpus Christi Texas. And one in Miami Florida but thats it." .

"So all we have is basically a birth certificate and a fake ID. You know what that means."

George then flipped back to the computer. "That would mean that either. A. she is a illegal alien. Or B. some one erased her file."

"Lets try the daughter." Travis suggested as he flipped through the folder and placed Antea's file in the rest of their evidence.

"Okay. Aelita Rose Schaeffer. Born may 3rd 1985, Born to... Franz Hopper and Antea Hopper?"

"Yeah... When they were in witness protection they used her maiden name to conceal themselves."

George read down Aelita's file. "She has green eyes. PINK HAIR?"

Travis turned to look at the photo of the young girl. The photo was of a young 5 year old girl and her mother and father. "Obviously she got that from her mother. Wait.."

The thought finally came to Travis. Aelita was born with pink hair. Travis thought that Antea just dyed her hair. But their it was, Aelita had the same colored hair as her mother. He read down the child's health record to see that the Doctors believed that it was because of some unknown problem with her pigmentation affected by high amounts of Pheomelanin. And their was no way that her mother could of dyed a 5 year olds hair pink.

"What the hell? Thats gotta be some kinda dyed hair color. Its kinda a... Normal pink."

George turned to Travis with a puzzled look on his face. "You mean they decided to dye a 5 year old girl's hair pink?

"Well maybe it was so she could match her mother."

George suddenly realized that in the two photos of Antea she had pink hair. In the her early job photo with Mal-Tech, the picture with her and Waldo, and now this photo here.

"Maybe its a rare condition. I'll have to look into it." George stated as he printed off a picture of the family.

Travis walked over to the folder and packed it in his suit case. Their was something about this case that just didn't feel right.

"Okay. First off Waldo's parents die one day after he quits Mal-tech. Then Antea has no history at all, And what she has is sketchy. And then she is kidnapped while living in Colorado. And then Waldo and Aelita disappears with out a trace."

"Not to mention the bizarre choice in hair style" George chuckled.

"What about property?" Travis asked. "Where did they live in between all of this."

George gazed through a vanilla white folder. He bought a log cabin in Vail Colorado. And he bought a house in Compton California, . And he spent a little time in France where he bought a small cottage next to the local prep school where he teached. Thats about it."

"What about bank records? Try both Franz and Waldo."

George typed in the name and the computer revealed 2 different results

"He has a account in the marine bank in Maine; and he has a account at Goldman bank in Chicago. At the bank in Maine he has... 78 hundred thousand in the bank at Maine. And 86 hundred thousand at the bank in Miami. Thats about 164 million.. and its still in their. Under his name."

Travis flipped through his records only to find that Waldo never filled a tax return. And that he may have had more bank account's under different aliases.

"Maybe we should go and visit his house in Compton. It may turn up some new clues."

"What about the house in Colorado?" Travis asked

"Well it says here the CIA has already investigated it. And nothing really turned up. Since the house is under CIA jurisdiction, well have to get a CIA Analyst to help us."

George shut off the computer and got out of the chair. "I'll let the deputy director know." George walked over and grabbed his water as he and Travis made for the door. "So when do you want to do this? "

"Thursday. I gotta visit Wendy before I go." Travis turned for the door. As he walked out he realized he would have to get flowers...

The mall was packed with people walking around the various store's some were just merely gazing. Other's were shopping; and some people had large bags from other various store's.

Odd , Yumi and Ulrich were in the F.Y.E. Store. They were browsing at the different C. D.s trying to see if their was anything that they wanted. They were browsing the rock section and already Yumi had 3 CD's that she had wanted for sometime.

Odd flipped through a couple Cd's and suddenly whaled in anger. "Are you kidding. I paid 15 Euros for the B_reaking Benjamin_ CD and they have it here for 7 Euros"

"Who did you buy it from?" Ulrich asked as he picked up a copy of the best of the Subsonic's

"Hiroki." Odd turned to Yumi and stared at her.

"Hey I cant control the fact that my brother outsmarted you...again"

"But you could give a friend a heads up instead of letting him find out the hard way."

Yumi walked toward the earphones so she could try a album section as she replied. "Hey last time I gave you advice you didn't even listen."

"Yeah I remember." Ulrich agreed as he flipped through the S section. "Hey they got the new _Saliva_ CD.

"Okay so I didn't listen and Jim found out about the Saran wrap idea, big deal." Odd put back the CD he was complaining about. "So when are we supposed to go get love birds? I'm starving?"

"Not for another 10 minutes. sheesh are you never not hungry?" Ulrich asked

"Only when I'm sleeping."

Ulrich looked over at Yumi as she was currently listening to the trial track of one of the CD's she had.

He walked over and showed her the Saliva CD he found and asked her to give it a try. The one benefit between Ulrich and Yumi was that they shared a lot of things in common. The same music and bands. The same interest's and the same movies. From Pencak Silat., to their favorite movie's. Like _Spider_ _man 2_. They started dating around the time Xana was finally shut down. They started a little slow till they went and saw _Transformers_. It was finally after the movie that they finally expressed their feeling for each other in the form of a kiss. Ever since then, they never had a problem of any shape or form. They were finally a couple. And according to the other's. It was about dam time. But for some reason Ulrich wondered. If Yumi had always felt this way about him, why didn't she say anything before?

Ulrich Turned to Odd who was walking over to the dvd section. "So what about that Tanell girl?"

"I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking I might go up to her and ask her if she wants to grab a pizza off campus or something."

"What happens if she's just using you? There are girls in this world who do such things."

"No way, why would some one who looks like a angel act like a devil?"

"Thats what you said about Megan Jarzeen and look what happened. You where her own little private slave."

Odd remembered the embarrassment Megan brought him as all Megan wanted to do was have Odd do her own little bidding. He spent almost a hundred Euros on her to the point where he finally said enough. Only to be faced with her constant nagging and rumors that she spilled behind his back.

"Okay so the _Saliva CD_ is definitely worth it. But not the other's." Yumi explained as she handed Ulrich the two rejected C.D.'s

"Hey where are you going?" Ulrich asked as Yumi walked to the register.

"I'm buying the C.D.. What does it look like?"

Ulrich busted out in surprise. "Hey I was going to buy that."

" First come first serve" Yumi replied ash she stuck her tongue out. "Oh don't worry, il burn you a copy tonight."

Ulrich's cell phone rang suddenly. He reached for his phone to answer it, only to be met with surprise. On the other end was his mother, she was in a panic as she spoke to Ulrich in a manner that forced Ulrich's attitude to go from okay, to horrible.

Yumi looked over towards Ulrich trying to make a joking gesture, only to find that Ulrich's face had dropped almost to the floor. She paid for the CD and walked over to him as Odd also finally noticed.

Ulrich hung up the phone.

His face turned beat red, his eyes squeezed together in frustration. His whole world had just crumbled before his eye's. This was one of the worst thing's that could happen, especially after how good he was doing in school, and know that him and Yumi were having the time of their life, finally.

"Ulrich? Hey Ulrich, Whats wrong?" The young girl asked as she realized that he wasn't mad about the C.D.

"Whats the matter? I haven't seen you so depressed than the first time you saw William and Yumi together." Odd asked trying to sound a little funny.

"Shut up Odd." Ulrich murmured as he began to walk away.

Ulrich walked out of the store as Yumi and Odd followed. He walked over to a bench and sat down, placing his hands on his face. Yumi and Odd walked over to him. Odd sat down next to him and put his arm around him. Only to have it shrugged off.

"Odd why don't you go get Jeremy and Aelita. I'm ready to get something to eat anyway." Yumi suggested. Hinting that she wanted to talk to Ulrich alone.

"Yeah sure" Odd replied as he walked off. Leaving Yumi and Ulrich alone on the bench.

"So whats up?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I'm fine." Ulrich replied in a stern voice.

"No come on seriously." Yumi insisted.

"I don't... wanna... talk about it." Ulrich stuttered as he tried to think about the recent news.

"Don't do this. Don't turn me out like that. I've shared my problems and feelings with you before. So the least you could do is tell me what's troubling you." Yumi replied as she sat down next to him and took hold of his hand.

Ulrich looked at Yumi. Usually he would tell some one who asked something like this to get lost. But this was Yumi. She had her fare share of problems that she revealed to him. So it was only natural that he returned the favor.

"Okay. Just don't tell anyone. Not Odd, Not Aelita, Not Jeremy. Please for the love of god, Not Odd!!" Ulrich requested.

"I promise. I Swear I wont."

"Okay" Ulrich said as he took a deep breath and though about how he was going to say this. "My mom called. She left my dad."

Yumi's started to sweat and her heart drop as she heard the news . "Why?"

Ulrich looked her in the eye's. He knew their was no going back now. "My father is a alcoholic. He was drunk and beat my mother with a bottle. Right know He's under arrest, and my mom is filing for divorce. He's been a drunk all my life."

Yumi put a hand over her mouth as she heard the words come out of Ulrich's mouth. She never would of known. " I thought he was just a perfectionist?"

"No. He started a little after I was born. He tries to hide it but it never does hold. Thats why I never really had any friend's. Or never did any socializing. I was afraid to. The reason I've been so hard, and so scared to open up to any one else but you and the other's is because...He."

Yumi lowered her hands on to her knees. "What. What is it?" Yumi's face went from sorrow to dread. "He didn't hit you. Did he?"

Ulrich removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a scare on his shoulder. "He hit me with a bottle. The glass shattered and cut my shoulder up. This is because I Brought a friend over to watch _ Power Ranger's_ with out his permission."

Yumi looked at Ulrich in disbelieve. She never would of guessed that he was the victim of abuse. In all the years she knew him, she never would of guessed. "Why didn't you're mother leave him?"

"She was afraid to. She loved him. But he always threatened to hurt me or her if she did."

both kids starred at each other for awhile as they contemplated how to react to the recent conversation

"You can't tell any one. Please Yumi; I cant face this if it-"

Yumi held Ulrich's hand and looked him in the eyes. "I promise. Ulrich. You've kept my secrets, now I'll keep your's."

Yumi gave him a hug, Ulrich wondered in the back of his mind. What would happen to his family next? Would things get better, or worse?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

White Chatter

Jeremy sat on the bench of the shoe store and stared at his bandaged wound. The pain in his arm had subsided to a slight numb feeling. He still had trouble comprehending what had transpired earlier that day. There was Aelita sick from worrying about her dream, then the strange power surge in the school cafeteria that resulted in a piece of glass logged in his arm, and finally his parents calling him frantically after the school informed them of what happened. It was a very strange day indeed.

He looked at the blue turtle neck sweater that he had worn for ages. He had to change from his brown shirt because of the blood that had stained his sleeve. So he grabbed his old shirt and threw it on.

Jim took the old shirt and disposed of it, since there was the possibility of students with certain illnesses infecting other students with any traces of blood on their clothes.

He looked up at Aelita who was trying a pair of Nike tennis shoes on. She needed some new shoes since her old pink shoes were worn and torn. They had seen their fair share of abuse from all the many miles they had walked. These new shoes were white tennis shoes with a pink Nike logo on the sides. Jeremy realized that almost everything about Aelita was pink. Her hair, her clothes, her phone, everything. For all he knew, even her blood could be pink.

"Well what do you think?" Aelita asked as she walked over to him so that he could see.

Jeremy looked at the box and was astonished to see that they were 65.99 euros. He realized that if he said anything, it might offend Aelita. He didn't want her to feel like a burden, and he knew his parents wouldn't mind, as long as he paid them back.

"I think they look good on you."

"You don't think your parent's will mind the price?" Aelita asked.

"No, no, I'm sure they wont mind it." Jeremy said as he gave her a warm, geeky smile. "I spent more on that game for my PC, remember?"

Aelita smiled as she led Jeremy over to the checkout and plopped the box with her old shoes inside on the counter. As Jeremy paid for them, she felt a little nervous... like she was being watched by someone. She looked over her shoulder out towards the main hallway of the mall in time to see a grizzly looking old man turn around and walk towards a trash can. She stared at him as he walked off. Surely this man wasn't watching her. She was suddenly startled by Jeremy as he laid his hand on her shoulder

"Well. Now that we have your new shoes, what do you want to do now?" Jeremy asked as he walked out of the store with her. "Hey, you okay?"

Aelita lost the old man in the crowd as she suddenly realized Jeremy was talking to her. "Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just watching the crowds walk by."

"Well, Odd and the others are probably still buying CD's. Do you wanna just sit and wait for them?" Jeremy asked as he walked over towards a bench.

They sat down on the bench and watched as people walked to and from the various stores. Aelita kept the bag with her old shows next to her as she leaned back.

"So how's your arm? Does it still hurt?" Aelita asked as she gazed at the bandage.

"No its OK. It hurts every once and a while but its fine." Jeremy reassured her as he held his arm up.

"Thanks, by the way. I might have gotten a piece of glass jammed in me, or worse, if you hadn't thrown me under the table." Aelita said as she clutched the shoe box, containing her old shoes.

"That's OK. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

Aelita sat back on the bench as she watched a tall, muscular man in a red shirt and ball cap throw a soda bottle away in the trash. He suddenly pulled out another soda and opened it. He drank it almost as fast as he opened it. Aelita was a little shocked at how fast he drank it. The man turned and stared at her for a few seconds. He raised one of his eyebrows and turned to walk out the door.

"So how did your parents act when they called you?" Aelita asked as she turned her attention back to Jeremy.

"Well, let's just say that the words 'I'm OK' aren't enough to calm my mom down, and that the words 'she's OK' don't work either." Jeremy said. "They wanna know if we're going home for the weekend. I told them I would ask you."

"Well it's not like we have to babysit the supercomputer anymore, and besides, I'm kinda in the mood for your mom's enchilada anyways." Aelita said as she slowly took hold of Jeremy's hand. Jeremy blushed a bright red as he realized that she was holding his hand. Aelita's face was light red. She turned to her left and tried to hide it from Jeremy.

"I'm not a burden to your parents... am I?" Aelita asked as she turned to face Jeremy, who was still turned to his right as he tried to calm down a little.

"WHAT? No, of course not." Jeremy said as he turned to face the pink haired girl sitting next to him.

"My parents like you. And ever since I told them you were a orphan, they've liked you more. I think they're trying to treat you more like a family member than a friend of mine." Jeremy said as the redness in his cheeks faded.

Aelita smiled as she rested her head back on the head rest of the bench. She stared up at the ceiling as she a sudden thought raced threw her head. _Maybe they do. Maybe I do._

"Besides, you can't just leave me to eat my mothers cooking alone. Especially her meat loaf."

The old man stared at them from the top balcony. He took a sip of his coffee as he stared at the young couple that sat right underneath him. It was hard to believe that this was the cause of so many problems. Past, present, and future problems alike, all caused by the young girl that was smiling and laughing with what appeared to be her boyfriend. She looked so much like her mother. He stared and pondered how he would approach this. If his partner's calculations were correct--and they usually were--many of the elements that he and his late best friend worried about were now in motion. Would he just walk up and start talking to them, or wait until his partner tried to make contact?

He was a grizzled old man with a large bald spot on his forehead, and a faint mustache that sat on his upper lip. He wore a leisure suit with a few stains on the collar from past events, and a pair of well polished dress shoes.

He watched as the young boy pulled out a piece of receipt paper from the bag and stuffed it in his pocket. If the boy was in fact a boyfriend of sorts, then he would have to not only explain himself to the girl when the time came, but also to the young bespectacled blond who obviously cared enough to spend 70 euros on her and not expect her to pay him back.

The old man noticed another young blond boy running up towards them. He knew that this was one of their friends and also one of the girl's protectors. He slowly turned around and walked away just in time for Jeremy to look up at the vacant spot he once stood at.

The sun was starting to set as the gang slowly made their way back to the school. There was still evidence of the explosion that occurred earlier; the cafeteria had yellow tape around it, and the transformer that blew had been removed and replaced with a brand new one. Odd looked at the cafeteria as if it were the grave of a friend of his.

"So now where do we eat at?"

Jeremy looked at Odd with a little frustration on his face. "You just ate and you're worried about where you will eat tomorrow?"

"Hey a growing boy needs his nourishment."

"The group entered Odd and Ulrich's room, Kiwi Jumped off the bed and welcomed home his master with a waging tail and a jump into Odd's arms.

"KIWI!! HOWS MY HOT DIGGITY DOG!!" Odd said loudly as Kiwi licked his face.

Yumi and Ulrich sat on his bed as Jeremy sat in the chair at the desk. Odd and Aelita sat his bed as Yumi showed them her new CD's

"Sheesh. Kiwi is shedding again?" Aelita said as she stood up and brushed the hair off her side of the bed.

"Yeah I kinda noticed about a few weeks ago." Ulrich said as he handed everyone a soda from the mini fridge Odd kept behind the closet.

"There is one question I have always wondered: Why Kiwi? Thats the name of a fruit, and a bird is'nt it?" Jeremy asked as he opened his soda.

"Because I like the fruit. I would always eat it in elementary school. As for the bird, coincidence." Odd said as he rubbed Kiwi's belly. Kiwi wagged his tail and wiggled as Odd occasionally hit a sweet spot.

"So you named him after a piece of fruit? That's Odd for you. He will probably will name his kids spaghetti and meatballs." Ulrich Joked as everyone giggled.

"You mean I get to have Kids?! Wow thanks for the confidence." Odd said as he smiled widely. Kiwi jumped off Odd's lap and sat on the bed next to Aelita, as Odd sat next to Kiwi.

Yumi held up the Saliva CD she bought earlier and teased Ulrich with it.

"You bought the new _Saliva_ CD?" Aelita asked as she took a drink of her soda.

"Yeah, but I need to burn Ulrich a copy." Yumi replied as she looked over to Ulrich and winked at him.

"Here, I can do that later." Jeremy suggested as he took a look at the songs on the back of the CD.

"By the way Ulrich, what were you so mad about earlier?" Odd asked as he laid back on the floor.

Ulrich began to speak as Yumi cut him off.

"He was mad because... ...His mom accidentally ran over his cat!!" She said as she tried to invent a cover story for earlier, so that Odd wouldn't get any ideas--only to realize that her attempt mislead the others sounded stupid.

The room just stopped as everyone stared at Yumi. Even Ulrich looked at her questionably. Slowly the group turned to Ulrich who continually starred at Yumi in wonder.

"You have a cat?" Odd asked as he sat up.

"Uh, yeah. Well, actually, I had a cat."

"What was his name?" Jeremy asked as opened up his music player on his computer.

"Uh... Jack. He was an orange tabby. I had him for six years."

"Ohh I'm so sorry about that." Aelita said as she got up to get a drink from her soda.

Ulrich tried to act as though everything was okay, but in his mind he was still worried about his mom and dad. Was his dad in jail for what happened? Was his mom okay? At least Yumi was helping out as much as she could, even if her attempt to cover the truth was a little far fetched.

Odd's cell phone suddenly went off in his pocket. Kiwi poked his head up as he rested next to Aelita and sniffed at the phone. Odd pulled out his phone and looked at the number..

"Hey that's weird."

"What is it? Another hopeful girlfriend?" Yumi asked

"No, but its a weird number though." Odd replied as he got up to show Jeremy.

"0-001-0003. I don't know what that is." Jeremy handed the phone back to Odd as he stared at the others and finally answered it.

"Hello?" Odd asked.

Suddenly their was a loud humming noise coming from the speaker. Kiwi Jumped up and instinctively started Barking, he yipped loudly, eventually Yumi grabbed the dog and tried to calm him down. But the skinny dog continued to bark as if there was a cat in the room.

"KIWI!! SHUSH!" Odd firmly said as he tried to listen to the noise on the phone.

It sounded like a loud vacuum cleaner. Almost like a vacuum was running right next to the phone.

"What is it?" Ulrich asked as he notice the weird look on Odd's face.

"It's hard to describe. Here, let me put it on speaker phone" Odd said as he hit a button on his phone.

The noise filled the room as every one listened. There was a brief silence as the noise suddenly subsided and was replaced with a series of weird, faint chirps. Kiwi struggled to escape from Yumi's arms as he wiggled free. Kiwi ran and laid down in the closet drawer where Odd usually kept him. He stuck his head out and continued to bark. Odd motioned for kiwi to shut up but the dog wouldn't listen. Kiwi howled as if he was howling at the moon.

"Kiwi. For the last time cool it or no milk bones for you!!" Odd bellowed as the dog continued to howl.

"Okay, that is the weirdest noise I've ever heard in my life." Ulrich finally spoke as the noise started to fade a little.

"It sounds to me like a kind of bug noise. But that noise earlier sounded weirder." Odd said as he handed it to Jeremy.

Kiwi suddenly stopped barking as he buried his head under one of Odd's old shirts.

"It's probably just static. Maybe a telemarketer or something." Jeremy stood while holding the phone as suddenly the noise got louder and clearer. Instead of chirps, their was now a type of whirling noise in its place.

"No one move!!" Aelita shouted as every one just froze in place. Every one starred at Jeremy as he looked at the phone. "It sounds kinda like there's two different noises." Aelita noted as she slowly stood up.

The noises went back and forth. First a chirp, then a whirling noise, and then more chirps.

"What is it?" Ulrich said as he sat up.

"I'll tell you what it is. It's those nerds we ran into when we saw that movie last week. They sit there and get together and plan all these little pranks and stuff, because they can't get a girlfriend. So they mess with people's stuff, then they go and play their little _Dungeons and Dragons _like games, and brag about how or what they're gonna do next week. And what they're doing now is tearing up my cell phone. Those basement trolls.

Odd turned to look at Jeremy who was giving Odd a sarcastic look. "I'm a nerd."

"No Jeremy. You're a... 'Intelligent sophisticate'." Odd said.

"Well for a group of guys with no lives or girl friends, you should fit right in." Ulrich joked as Yumi walked over and took the cell phone.

The two sounds got louder and clearer than ever. They now sounded like electronic noises. The rest of the gang circled around Yumi as they listened to the sounds that were coming from the phone.

"Umm, can I let go now?" Yumi asked

"No, don't, you might lose it." Ulrich answered. "It sounds like it gets louder the higher you hold it."

"Wanna take it to the roof then?" Odd asked as he walked to the door.

"Yeah let's try it." Aelita answered as she led the group out, Yumi holding the phone, with Ulrich, Odd, and Jeremy close behind. Kiwi poked his head out from under the blankets as he stared at the gang walking out the door.

They walked up the stairs till they reached the door that led to the roof. The door was locked of course, but Jeremy had stored a skeleton key behind the fire extinguisher. The door opened to reveal the starry night sky. The last rays of the sun were still barely visible, but enough to give off some light.

The group walked to the center of the roof as the phone buzzed louder than it had before. The noises sounded clearer and sharper as they listened to the conversation.

Yumi panned the phone in the night sky as it got louder, then softer and finally louder again. She stopped at the position the sound appeared to be loudest at. The noise sounded like a pair of machines, grinding and whirling some kind of noise. It was something that no one had ever heard before.

The noises started to pick up until it finally disconnected in another loud buzz, followed by a dial tone.

"I think we lost it." Odd suggested as he took his phone back. "What was that?"

"I don't know. It sounded like a conversation. But then again it sounded like static." Jeremy said as he stared at the location were the phone was loudest. Yumi walked up to him as she stared in the same direction he was. They both knew what was in that direction.

"That was the creepiest sound I ever heard. Yet it sounded familiar" Aelita said as she looked at the cell phone in Odd's hand. "Try to call it back."

Odd dialed the number again and instead got nothing. The number that displayed earlier on his phone was gone, almost as if it never existed.

He finally put the cell phone away and looked at Jeremy and Yumi, who were staring in the direction the signal was strongest at.

"Hey what's over their anyway?" Odd asked

"The factory." Yumi said


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

The Trail

Compton California

The streets were quiet and calm, and the neighbor hood was a little rundown. All the cars were sitting on the street, and the condition of the houses was poor. There were some houses with all types of junk and items on the lawn and porch. And there were some with no grass or porch. And yet there were many houses that actually looked like they had been in good shape for years.

A black Mustang G.T. drove down the street. At normal glance, no one would think that there were actually two F.B.I. agents driving it. The car belonged to George. He had made the modifications for the car himself. The car had a silver racing stripe down the middle, and also sported a racing fin in the back. Not to mention that the rear suspension was raised a little so that the car's rear tires were a little larger than the front tires.

"Lets see." Travis spoke as he read the house numbers on the houses. "Schaeffer lived in house 156. I think its up here near the corner. Its supposed to be the first house he lived in when he worked for Mal-Tech."

The Mustang stopped at a stop sign as Travis rolled down the window and threw his stale gum out. He watched as a little girl and her mother crossed the street in front of the car. Travis watched as the little girl waved to him. In his mind the girl reminded him of Wendy. He visited her before he left. He usually visited Wendy about once or twice a month. And he always visited her on her birthday, and the anniversary of the time it happened.

"You doing okay there man?" George asked concerned for his friend.

"Yeah. I'm good."

The car drove towards the end of the street next to a old apartment complex. The house they were looking for was right next to it.

"156, that's it right there." Travis confirmed as George parked the car next to the curb. Both men got out as George locked the door and clicked the security alarm.

"So what time is this other agent supposed to arrive?" George asked

"She's supposed to be here any minute. She knows more about the Schaeffer case than any other agent in the F.B.I and the C.I.A. combined."

"What is she? CIA, FBI, what?"

Travis took a piece of gum out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth. "She's a CIA analyst. She helped one of the only CIA agents who investigated the Schaeffer case."

"Why is that? Why only one agent pursuing the case?" George asked as he checked his time.

"His old partner died awhile back. He was hit by a train." Travis said as he he checked his text messages on his cell phone. "And later, he was shot by an unknown assailant."

George looked at Travis as a Pontiac Solstice pulled up to the driveway. "What do you mean?"

"I mean they never found out who killed him." Travis slipped in as a red haired woman stepped out of the car and approached the pair of agents.

In order to access the old house, one of the CIA's analysts was going to assist them, to make sure that everything went well, and that the feds didn't try to pull any tricks. The house was still in CIA jurisdiction, and the case was a joint investigation of the CIA and the FBI. But after the last mishap from the FBI, the CIA wasn't going to let it happen again

"Hello there. I'm Jessica Hillsabeck. CIA." the red head announced as she showed her badge.

She was a short women who wore a gray dress skirt and a matching jacket. She wore black high heels and also carried a small folder with her. She had a very soft face, with dark black eyes and a small mole under her right eye.

"My name's Agent Travis Dalesman, and this is Agent George Knight, FBI. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Shall we?" The red head asked as she walked towards the house.

The house had been closed for years by the CIA so that they could investigate the Schaeffer family's disappearance. It was a short one story house with weather worn red paint. Some of the gutters had fallen off and were nowhere in sight. The grass had died years ago. There were also signs of attempted burglars trying to enter the house, only to find that the windows were barred and locked.

Jessica walked up to the door and unlocked it. The three agents entered the main room of the house, which was the kitchen. Rodents and insects had taken resident in the house. There was water damage from a leaking roof, and some of the tiles on the floor had begun to chip and peel. Most of the ceiling had fallen in, revealing the sky as clear as day. The room was dusty and dry, mold and mildew covering about half of the sofa.

"So what do you know about what happened here?" Travis asked as he gazed at the living room, observing the damage from the elements.

"Waldo met Antea around three years before he went to work for Mal-Tech. He married her a little after they started working on some project for the military. About ten months later they left."

George looked at the bedroom and saw that the bed was riddled with what looked like bullet holes.

"Why does it look like someone was shot at in here? Is this related to the case?"

Jessica walked over to the room's entrance and looked at the bed. "Because we think they set up some pillows to look like there were people sleeping in here. They left, and someone entered and blew the room to hell." Jessica said as she showed a few pictures of the bed after the cops arrived. "The house has been deserted for years. No one ever bought it."

The three agents entered the room as Travis just stood in the door way.

"Mr and Miss Schaeffer slept here when they weren't busy with Mal-Tech. They both worked for the agency around the same time. About ten months later, both Waldo and Antea left Mal-Tech. A day later, Waldo's mother and father died." Jessica said as she pulled out a few photos from her manila folder that she brought with her.

The first picture showed a silver Oldsmobile. It had flipped off into a ditch and caught fire. The frame of the car was scorched and burned.

"His mother, Emily, died the next day from an apparent lung failure. She was found lying in the middle of the floor of their house. The autopsy revealed that she had been suffering from pneumonia for a few years. The report claims that it was her condition that caught up with her. At some point they abandoned the house and fled with one of your agents, I believe. An agent Frank Morse, I believe, came and helped the family relocate to Colorado. When they arrived, Antea became pregnant with their daughter, Aelita Rose Schaeffer. Nine months later, she was born under the alias Aelita Rose Hopper. Waldo changed his first name to Franz, and they used Antea's maiden name for their cover."

Jessica walked over to the torn curtains that hung over the window. The window was cracked and broken. Large white lines covered the window, next to a larger crack in the left hand corner.

"Five years later, Antea was kidnapped. The rest is history."

Travis walked into the room and gazed at the book shelves. There were a few books still in good condition, but some were rotted to the point of mere scraps.

George asked "What's with the cabin in Colorado? Anything we should check for their."

Jessica reached into her folder and pulled out a couple of pictures. "We were there before my partner died. There's really nothing of interest there except the remains of what appeared to once be a nice little family."

Travis reached for a book and watched as it fell apart in his hands. From what he could tell it was a book based on Greek gods. "What about the one in France? Have you been there?"

Jessica stared at him for a while. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, he had a house in France, next to a boarding school he taught at." George replied

"I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about that. Are you sure?"

George looked at Travis. They stared at each other for a second, and then back at Jessica.

"After his wife was kidnapped, he and his daughter moved to France. Are you sure you never heard of it.?"

"I'm sorry, but all records of what happened after Antea was kidnapped ... disappeared."

George stared in disbelief. "Wait. You CIA guys took control of that case and you mean to tell me that the records just disappeared?!"

Jessica stared at George for a while trying to figure out what exactly she should say.

"Well around that time, the records were expunged by what appeared to be a possible mole. It happened around the time Schaeffer disappeared from your witness protection agency."

"And you guys blamed us for the family's disappearance? You CIA guys are full of it." Said Travis

"No one blamed you guys for the mishap. It's possible that the same leak from the FBI is responsible for the data hack."

Travis stared at her for a minute. Then it finally came to him

" That's really the only explanation. And that's also possibly why you don't have the records on Schaeffer moving to France. We have it because it's copied on a regular paper file. But I'm not sure if the computer record at the bureau has been tampered with as well."

"What if the possible mole was working for the group that kidnapped Antea?"

Before Travis could answer he saw something on the bookshelf where the Greek god book once sat. There was something written on the back of the bookshelf. Travis walked over and slowly removed a few books, then threw some of them on the ground, startling George and Jessica.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" Jessica shouted as she watched all the books fall on the ground.

"There's something back here. On the bookshelf wall. See." Travis pointed to a red line on the shelf.

George walked over and soon started to help remove the shelves and the books until they got a clear look at the symbol. It was red with what looked like an eye with four lines coming out of it, one on top and three on the bottom.

"What the hell is it?" George asked.

"It's his symbol." Jessica answered as she pulled out a picture from the house in Colorado. "He used it on almost everything he made. He called it _The New Dawn _symbol."

Travis felt the wood. He rubbed his hand on the hard wood. He felt his hand prick at something. He pulled it back to see that he had a splinter in his hand. He looked at where he got it from and saw a small hole in the wall. He peeked in to see that there was something behind it.

"Hey George, come here a minute."

George walked over and saw what Travis was pointing at. George spotted a metal leg of what used to be a chair and picked it up. He walked over to the symbol and started to swing the metal piece into the wall. Its sharp corners cut into the wall, ripping out chunks of wood at the same time.

After a while they finally managed to see what was behind the wall. There was a blue book stored in it.

"What is it" Jessica asked as Travis reached for the book. It was wrapped in plastic wrap. The book was in good condition. Their was no decay or mold on the cover or what pages they could see. It was as good as the day it was bought.

Travis took the book out of the plastic and read the cover out loud.

"Hansel and Gretel? Must be a book for their daughter." Travis said as he handed Jessica the book.

"Must be." Jessica started to thumb through the book, gazing at the crisp, paint styled pictures.

"Why would someone go to all the trouble to hide a book?" Travis asked as George searched the hole to see if there were any other surprises.

"I think I found why." Jessica replied as she held up an envelope. She opened it to reveal a number and a key.

"The numbers are 4231, Compton bank." George read the slip of paper. "So what's the key to?"

"I know what this is. It's a key to a safe deposit box at the Compton bank just down the road." Jessica answered.

Travis looked at the key. It had the same symbol that was on the wall.

"You know, I need to stop by an ATM machine anyway. Let's just stop by and make a withdrawal."

The clock on the wall displayed that it was 12:30 in the morning. Aelita sat up in her bed, only not as violently as she did before. The same dream again, just like three nights ago, only this time it was different. She remembered it easily.

The monster was walking towards her. She slowly backed up against a tree as the beast drew its blade and stabbed the tree, right above her head. She saw shards of wood fall in front of her as she watched the monster raise its blade and prepare to strike again. Aelita closed her eyes, knowing the end was coming.

Suddenly a pink orb hit the beast in the chest, causing it to fall backwards. It suddenly rose up and roared in anger at the mysterious person. Another orb hit it, causing it to fly a few feet into a pile of burning rubble. The beast vanished into the darkness as the fire and the building around Aelita faded from view.

The mysterious person walked up to Aelita. The figure wore a long black cloak. From what articles of clothing Aelita could see, the person wore a type of white jumpsuit, with the arms exposed. She had a lean and slender physique. The mysterious figure slowly squatted in front of Aelita. Aelita could see the person's lips and chin. This was a woman. The woman placed her hand on Aelita's face. At first, Aelita tried to avoid her hand, but after the person placed her hand on Aelita's cheek, she stopped struggling. She started to feel the same way as when she was with her father, or Jeremy and his family. She felt warm, comforted, almost safe.

The woman had skinny, slender hands. They were soft and warm. Almost like a mother's hands.

The person wiped the tears away from Aelita's face as she hugged her, softly yet enquiringly. Aelita looked at the hooded figure. She was afraid of this person but at the same time she felt safe. Like when she was with her father or Jeremy.

"Who are you?" Aelita asked.

The hooded figure removed the hood from its robe. Aelita gasped as she stared into a pair of soft green eyes. The person had a soft look in her face, almost angelic. She was young with long flowing straight hair. PINK HAIR.

"Mom?"

Aelita's eyes were wide, she didn't believe it. Her mother had been kidnapped years ago. It had to be a trick, it had to be. But...she didn't want it to be, she hoped it wasn't

"Mom? Mom is it...really you?" Aelita asked as she slowly touched her mother's face.

Her mother shook her head as she slowly stood up, holding Aelita's hand. She looked into Aelita's eyes as she raised her other hand. Her hand glowed brightly for a minute. It was so bright that Aelita had to squint to see what was going on. After a few seconds the light vanished and was replaced with a large sphere. It was glowing in different colors, every color of the spectrum glowed one by one. The sphere looked like it was made of diamond. It shimmered and glowed brilliantly. Aelita slowly reached out to touch the sphere. But as she reached for it, it vanished as fast as it appeared. Aelita looked towards her mother she softly faded away from view. Aelita tried to hug her mother one last time as her hands passed through the mist that once was her mother. Aelita cried out but it was to late. It was all over...

It had been a few days since the bizarre explosion occurred at the cafeteria. The school had done their best to fix up the cafeteria. The tables were new, the light bulbs replaced. Some of the outlets along the wall still needed to be replaced, but at least they were serving food again. The school decided to let the students eat outside. The cafeteria workers cooked on a few grills, and served the kids as they sat at what few picnic tables there were, and the others sat next to various trees and walls. So for once the kids were happy to have a actual table and ceiling over their heads, not to mention the air conditioner.

Ulrich and Yumi had already finished their pancakes, while Odd was in line waiting for his second helping. The cafeteria was mostly empty since it was so early in the morning. Jeremy and Aelita where still getting ready for the day, so this was really one of their only moments alone while they were at the school.

"So Hiroki still hasn't asked Milly out? After all the times he has hung out with her, and the way she looks at him, he still hasn't asked her yet?" Ulrich asked finishing off his orange juice.

"No, and its driving me nuts. He's always asking me for advice on how he should approach her, and after all the times I tried to set them up what does he do... he chickens out at the last minute." Yumi replied as he watched Sissi approach Herve and Nicholas outside next to the door.

"I remember the last time when he tried. At first I thought he had it, then he just whipped around and asked her for the time."

Ulrich remembered when Yumi and himself caught the young couple near the library. He remembered how Hiroki looked so calm and cool. He was about to ask Millie, and he could see by the look in Millie's eyes that she was clueless to what he was about to say. He remembered Yumi silently chanting 'Go', the whole time. And finally he backed out and asked if she had the time. He then remembered a distinct slapping noise. He turned around to see a bright red mark on Yumi's forehead and a angry look on her face.

"I mean what's so hard about asking a girl out" Ulrich looked towards Yumi, who had stopped drinking her orange juice and was busy shooting Ulrich a glance in disbelief. "What?"

"You're a fine one to talk." Yumi finally replied. "Exactly how many years did it take for us to get this far?"

"Hey, I tried once and you shot me down, and then I think it was you who finally admitted feelings first. So in reality maybe you're the one who should be getting the look."

"Nah. That just means I'm the one that wears the pants in the relationship." Yumi replied as she giggled at the joke she just made.

Ulrich set down his bottle and looked toward Odd. Their little friend was busy coming back with a stack of pancakes almost as big as him. He sat them down on the table and was getting ready to sit down when he spotted Tanell.

"Hey, there she is!" Odd pointed out as the young blond walked in and stood in line for breakfast.

"Okay guys, here goes Purple Lighting to sweep her off her feet." Odd remarked as he brushed the pancake crumbs off his sweatshirt and proceeded over to the table.

Yumi and Ulrich wished him luck as he walked off. After a second Ulrich faced Yumi with a question on his mind.

"Hey. If you did always have those feelings for me ever since we met, why did it take you so long to ask?"

Yumi stopped staring at Odd and turned to face Ulrich. "No offense Ulrich... seriously. But I don't want to talk about it."

"But why, we shared everything together. From your grandparents' money to my... 'cat' issue. So why not this?"

Yumi looked away from Ulrich and stared out the window as she finally spotted Jeremy and Aelita walking towards the cafeteria. "I'll tell you one day. Just not now. I don't really want to talk about it yet."

"Well I won't pressure you into it. Just tell me when you're ready."

--

Ok so i know this is extremly late. But like the song says. Its never too late.

If Aelita always has nightmares. why not a good dream fro once. Why not something that gives her hope. And so i worte it into that scene. In the scene, pictured children singing in like a choir of some type. And when you read it, you'll understaind. Plus the Symbol has a name!! No longer the Xana symbol. And maybe a few cryptic messages in the first half?

If any one reads this, please leave a comment, A fellow fanfic once said that comments are like medals of Honor. the more the better. So review or Achmed the dead terroist will KEEEL YOU!!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Angels and Demons

"Are you absolutely sure you saw her?" Jeremy asked as he stopped by the vending machine to buy a bottle of milk while they were on their way to the cafeteria.

"I think I would remember my own mother, Jeremy. And yes, I did see her," Aelita replied as she leaned next to the vending machine. "I was having the same nightmare I've had for two nights now, and she just sort of appeared out of nowhere. The whole dream stopped, and it was just me and her. I know this might sound weird, but I felt her presence like the time my father saved me from falling into the digital sea. I felt like I was safe, like I was home with my family."

Jeremy got his milk from the machine and opened it. He looked at it for a while and finally choose the words he had been deciding on for a while.

"You know, I don't want to say it, I really don't. But it could be just a dream. The nightmare is what I'm more worried about."

"I told you Jeremy, I'm fine." Aelita said as she started walking towards the cafeteria.

"No Aelita, you're not. You've been falling asleep in class ever since this started. You practically look like you haven't slept in days."

"Oh, you worry to much." Aelita replied over her shoulder.

"So, anything else happen in this dream of yours?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita paused as she remembered that there was something else. She remembered seeing her mother holding something in her hand. Almost like she wanted Aelita to see it. Aelita started to remember small bits and pieces of what she saw.

"Well... there was this... thing."

Jeremy stopped drinking from his milk and turned to face the pink haired girl.

"What thing?"

"It was about this big." Aelita held out her hands a basketball's width apart. "It floated, and it glowed. It changed colors, and I think it was made of diamond or some kind of crystal like mineral. I'll have to draw what it looked like," Aelita said as she watched Jeremy take another drink.

"Have you ever seen it before?" Jeremy asked.

"No, but it did look familiar."

They neared the cafeteria as he asked her another question. "What do you mean?"

Before Aelita could reply they were both startled by William shouting their names as he ran towards them.

William was carrying his math books with him as he finally caught up to them and paused to catch his breath.

"Hi William. What's up?" Aelita asked as she noticed William finally caught his breath.

"Oh, that's right. I never thanked you for the arm." Jeremy replied as he figured that William was checking on Jeremy since he hadn't seen him after the cafeteria explosion.

"Naw man, its the least I could do after all you guys have done for me." William said as he stood up straight.

William was originally supposed to be a new member of the gang, since at the time, Xana was winning way to much. But when he was brought to Lyoko, Xana took control of him and forced him to fight his friends. After a few months, they managed to save him, only for Xana to take control of him again. It was on that day that Aelita's father sacrificed himself to kill Xana. A few weeks afterwards, when Aelita was starting to come out of her emotional slump, William apologized for what happened, believing that he was responsible. Naturally Aelita forgave him, and ever since then, William has done whatever he could for Aelita as a friend. Eventually Jeremy started to mingle with William more and soon after gained a pretty good friendship with their former enemy. Odd even started to accept the guy until Yumi and Ulrich vouched their reasons against William.

So in order not to cause any problems in the group, William decided to stay far away from the now dating couple as much as possible, and hang with Jeremy and Aelita whenever Yumi or Ulrich weren't around.

"Listen, I do have a question to ask you though. Last night around midnight my cell phone got this weird call, and I didn't know if maybe you knew about it too."

"What did it sound like?" Jeremy asked.

"It sounded like a vacuum catching fire or some kind of grinding noise."

Jeremy's eyes got wide. They weren't the only ones who got that call. But who else could have received it as well? This was too weird for it to be a coincidence.

"Did you here anything else on the call?" Aelita asked

"Just some kinda chirping and squealing noises, kinda like a computer or old piece of machinery."

William pulled out his cell phone and showed the displayed number on it. Williams phone had the very number Odd's phone deleted before he could get the number copied down. This was great, maybe now Jeremy could figure out what it was.

"William, do you mind if I copy that down so I can check it?" Jeremy asked as he held his hand out.

"Yeah, sure you can. But does that mean you know about it?" William asked as he hesitantly handed Jeremy his IPhone.

"Yeah, we got it a few nights ago after the cafeteria fiasco." Aelita responded as she looked over Jeremy's shoulder to see what the number was.

"0-002-0004. I think Odd's was different than this one" Jeremy replied as he stared at the number for a second. "But why would William's have the number and Odd's wouldn't?"

"Because I put it on hold till I could find you. I tried to find you last night but King Jimbo was on the loose so I waited till today. But if you take the call off hold now, then we might lose it."

"I should take this to m-"

Aelita grabbed Jeremy's arm and interrupted the scientist. "We!! Are going to get some breakfast, and then you can go play Hero later." Aelita gave Jeremy a firm yet familiar smile as she interrupted the guy's conversation. "Care to join us William?"

William looked at Aelita for a minute. It became pretty clear to William that Aelita finally had Jeremy out of his room for the first time in 3 years since he found her. And it was obvious that she wasn't going to give him up without a fight.

"Actually I probably shouldn't, Yumi and Ulrich might be in there. I think I'll just get a drink from the fountain and work on my homework a little."

"I'll give you your phone back later this afternoon. And don't worry, I'll take good care of it."

William turned around as Aelita and Jeremy walked into the cafeteria.

Odd slowly approached Tanell's table. She was sitting down eating breakfast and text messaging someone. She hadn't noticed Odd slowly making his way towards the table, chewing on what he should say and how he should say it.

"Hey, remember me? I was the smart one." Odd whispered as he rubbed the back of his head and stared at his shoes. "No, that wont work. Ohh. Hey good looking whats cooking? No, wait. Is heaven missing an angel. No, I've used that too much."

Odd looked back at the table to see Yumi and Ulrich just sitting and talking about random stuff, so there was no support from them. And Jeremy and Aelita had just walked in and were standing in line. They had not yet noticed him, so he was flying solo again. There was no support from his friends or anyone.

"OK... here we go."

Odd walked over to Tanell who finally noticed him and put her phone away. She looked the young kid over. She noticed the purple sweatshirt, the strange anime-style hair, and the weird smell. What was that smell?

"Uhh hey, remember me?" Odd stuttered as he brandished a small smile.

"Yeah I remember you. Bob was it?"

"No, it was Odd, remember? The smart one who let you cut in line." Odd replied as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh yeah, that guy. What do you need?" Tanell replied in a happy tone.

"Well I was wondering. That new zombie movie is opening this Friday. Would you like to go see it with me?"

Tanell slowly put her fork down and looked up at Odd. "Sorry there bud but no thanks. I know what you're going for and I'm not interested. Besides, I only go out with cute guys anyways."

Odd suddenly looked at Tanell. What did she mean? She said that he was cute. And that he was smart as well. Did all of that suddenly fly out the window?

"But wait. I thought you said I was cute?" Odd said in surprise.

"Well... so what?"

Odd started to get a little frustrated as he tried to comprehend what she had just said to him.

"Well why was it that when I let you cut in front of me last week, you said that I was on your list? I thought that maybe you were interested in me?"

"Oh, really? Well let me put it to you this way." Tanell started to stand up as she looked Odd square in his confused face. "People like you aren't cute. I wouldn't date you, or that weird looking, tree shaped hairdo if you were the last living organism on the face of the planet. There are much better looking people here anyways. Like that Stern kid. Now that's a possible candidate. And yet he is busy wasting his time with that freak of a Korean girl over there."

Odd suddenly stood in shock. The girl he had been thinking about the past few days, his would-be angel, was actually a two faced demon who was not only striking at him, but now his friends.

"She not Korean, she's Japanese. And sorry to burst your bubble, but Ulrich wouldn't date a two bit creep like you if your life depended on it." Odd fired back in a low tone.

"Oh, so the walking smudge can bite back. Oh please, I can have any man I want. Like my own little fan club standing right behind you."

Odd turned around to see Nicholas and Herb standing behind him. Both of them were giving him a foul and dirty look. Herb looked like he was going to punch Odd in the face any minute now.

"How dare you talk to Tanell like that, you worthless lowlife." Herb fired in retaliation as he stared at Odd in rage.

"Wait a minute. I thought you two were friends with Sissi. And I thought you had a crush on Sissi, Herb."

"Oh please. Sissi's nothing compared to Tanell." Herb replied with a look of death on his face. "She's an earthly angel. And you're just being a worthless lowlife. So back off Dellarobbia."

Odd stared down Herb as Nicolas walked to Odd's side. Odd knew that any minute these two would jump him for all the grief and hassle he gave them for the past few years.

"See, all I gotta do is snap my fingers and they can wipe the floor with you. What do you say, Cutie!" Tanell snickered as she stood up and folded her arms.

Ulrich walked over and stood between Odd and Herb, while Jeremy walked over and stood next to Nicolas. He wasn't sure how useful he could be, but he at least thought he could do a little good in the situation.

Yumi walked over and put her arm around Odd's neck and tried to lead him away. She had heard most of Tanell's remarks and was trying really hard to bite her lip.

"Come on Odd, walk it off." Yumi said as she led Odd towards the door.

"Yes Odd. Listen to miss Korea there and take a hike, go crawl under the dumpster you hide under, cockroach." Tanell replied as she put her hands on her hips.

"For your information, I'm not Korean, you half wit retard. I'm Japanese" Yumi snapped back as she stared back at the young girl.

"What's the difference then. You all live in a trashy part of the world anyways."

The joke was enough to make Herb and Nicolas laugh. By now one of the lunch room attendants were attempting to break up the argument. But with the crowd of people around the table, there wasn't enough room to get into the conversation. One of the ladies had motioned for Jim who was currently giving William a lecture on why it's important to be on time to class. Jim burst through the doors and yelled so loud that most of the people in the cafeteria were startled by his presence, but eventually they turned around to watch what was about to transpire.

Ulrich was so angered by Nicholas and Herb's laughter that he walked over to Nicolas and stood right in his face.

"Is there something funny about my girlfriend's ethnicity?" Ulrich growled as he stood ready to go to war with the sandy blond haired kid.

"Yeah there is. You're girlfriend's little homeland. I thought it was just a trashy little island. I guess I stand corrected since she is trash."

Ulrich pulled back his fist and aimed straight at Nicolas head. He attempted to throw his fist only to have it caught by some one. He turned around to see William standing there trying to hold him back.

"Sorry, Ulrich, but it's really not worth it. Especially with "Jug head" Jim standing over there looking at us." William said as he led Ulrich out of the cafeteria.

Ulrich glanced over to see Yumi and Odd walking toward the door as well, with Jeremy and Aelita following them out trying to hurry them out as fast as possible before any other comments were made that might offend someone.

"That's right Miss Fortune Cookie, Mr Hair Style. Keep walking, and know your place in this world you freaks. Even your two freaky friends who stayed out of it know their place." Tanell yelled as Jim took Herb and Nicolas to the far end of the cafeteria.

Aelita turned around and gave Tanell a foul look as she followed Ulrich and William out the door.

"MISS LEWIS. That is quite enough from you young lady!!" Jim growled as he led Herb and Nicolas out the door and to the principals office. "You're coming with me young lady."

As Tanell walked to the door she carried a feeling of triumph about her. She had put a group of complete nerds in their place. And her two cohorts had helped her succeed.

As Tanell walked to the door she was intercepted by Sissi who stood in her way with her arms folded in defiance. She had walked in and saw the whole thing, from Tanell's remarks to Ulrich almost thrashing her former friend.

"Not even Odd Dellarobbia deserves to be humiliated like that." Sissi murmured as she passed Tanell, bumping her in the shoulder.

Tanell instinctively grabbed her shoulder and leaned towards Sissi's ear.

"You know what they say. Birds of a feather flock together."

Tanell let go of Sissi's arm as she walked out of the door. Sissi stood there in anger. Ever since Tanell had arrived, she had relieved Sissi of Herb and Nicholas, stolen her role as diva of the school, and humiliated her on her clothes and status as principals daughter. She remembered every insult Tanell said that day.

"What? You had to have daddy run the school for you? Are you that scared of your own shadow?" Tanell had asked as she looked Sissi square in the eye.

It was the very day that Tanell had arrived. Sissi didn't even know how it started. All she knew was that one minute she's walking to her room, and the next minute Tanell had hunted her down and started to attack her.

"Why you disrespectful little brat!!" Sissi fired at Tanell. "When my father hears about this, you'll be kicked out so fast..."

"Ohh as if my dear." Tanell interrupted. "How will it go? Lets see something like."

Tanell got on her hands and knees as she tried to demonstrate how Sissi would talk to her father.

"Please daddy!! The cute girl won't leave me alone. And I can't find my pacifier, or my bottle. AND I THINK MY DIAPER NEEDS CHANGED!! WAAHHAHAH." Tanell joked as she started to stand up.

"You're just pathetic. You hide behind your father and think that you have it made. But you don't. People like you are just pathetic, and what's more is that I've seen what you were once. And now you think you can change? Why? Because Ulrich Stern might notice you?"

"Leave him out of this, I happen to be friends with Ulrich and his friends. And I also know he has a girlfriend." Sissi fired back.

"Oh please, daddy's girl. You think that by trying to change that he might notice you? That maybe he will ask you out? You are nothing more than old news. You are just like Madonna. You try to look nice and sexy, but you're really all old and crispy. Where I'm like J-Lo. I give the boys what they want. And then when I don't need them, I discard them like Ben Affleck."

Sissi's eyes started to water up as Herb and Nicholas watched the new girl put Sissi in her place.

"Aww. Is daddy's little angel gonna cry?"

"Shut up!! You're no different from me and you know it." Sissi said as she tried to cover up the fact that she really was crying. No one had ever talked to her like this.

"Oh. So there is a brain at work in there. And I thought you were all looks and no brains," Tanell said as she started to circle Sissi. "Don't make fun of Elisabeth Delmas. She might let her father know." She said teasingly. "I bet you use that for a crutch every chance you get. I bet you don't even have any friends."

"Yes I do. I have Herb and Nicholas."

"Oh please. They're a fine example of your disgrace. These two follow you around all the time, like small puppy dogs. And you never give them the time of day for anything. Why would they follow a shallow little thing like you when I can give them what they want. I can give them respect." Tanell said as she stared at the two boys.

"She's right Sissi." Herb finally said. "I have tried for years to tell you how I feel, and every time I do you hit me for it. Well I've had it. Any feelings I had for you were crushed time and time again." Herb finally spoke up.

Sissi stared at Herb as she realized that Tanell was right. "...Herb!!"

Herb walked over to Tanell's side and stood on her left. Before Sissi could say anything, Nicholas walked over to Tanell's right. He also obviously felt the same way as Herb.

"It's like I said Madonna, nothing but a selfish daddy's girl. Goodbye Madonna. I think its time for your nap anyway." Tanell said as she turned to walk down the hallway, Herb and Nicholas following.

Sissi stood in the hallway. She couldn't believe what had happened. Tanell was absolutely right. She was right about everything. Slowly Sissi entered her room and began to softly cry to her self...

Sissi slowly found her self back in the cafeteria staring out the window. She watched as Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich, were led to the dorms by the others. She thought in her head for a while and came to a conclusion.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

The bank was extremely quiet and calm. An armed guard stood at the entrance as the tellers filed paperwork left and right for money transactions. The three agents were led to the vault by the current bank manager. They walked past a second guard and into the vault area. Inside there were safety deposit boxes left and right. Some were currently occupied, while others were vacant.

"Here you go. Box 4231. Registered to Waldo Schaeffer," the manager said as he sat it down on a table in the middle of the room.

Travis walked over to the box and pulled the key out of his pocket. He placed it in the box and paused as he stared at the key.

"You two might want to step back a little." Travis warned as he looked over his shoulder

"Why? Why should we?" Jessica asked

"It could be booby trapped."

"Dude, just open the dang box!" George exclaimed

Travis turned the key as there was a clicking noise from the box. He slowly lifted the lid to view the contents of the box. Jessica and George gazed over his shoulder to see... nothing.

"What the hell?" George said in disbelief.

Travis shifted the box a little. A small CD slid down from the opposite side of the box. On it was the same symbol as the wall. Also on it was the initials F.H.

"What's F.H.?" Travis asked as he handed Jessica the CD.

"It was his alias, remember? He took his middle name and his wife's maiden name and created a whole new identity." George explained

"Why go to all the trouble to hide a CD? Can we even view it?" Travis asked

Jessica took the CD and looked at it. She noticed the label on the bottom next to the initials.

"Its a earlier version of a CDR, but it should work," she said as she gave it back to Travis.

"OK. We need to take this back to the hotel and figure out just what's on it. It could possibly even be the evidence we need for Mal-Tech." Travis announced.

"Actually, maybe I should hold on to it. After all, the CIA has been following this case for years." Jessica replied as she held out her hand.

"No way. This is our investigation. You can tag along and take notes." George argued.

"Look, we can both examine it back at the hotel. Jessica, you're not really in a hurry to get this, and besides. I believe you're assigned to assist us in any way shape or form." Travis explained as he walked out with the CD.

Jessica gave Travis a nasty face as she followed behind him. Those were not the regulations she was given on this assignment. She always did things by the book. And this was certainly not by the book

The three agents stepped outside and walked to George's car. They had left Jessica's car at the hotel and brought George's car over instead. The three got in the car and drove off into the intersection. None of them noticed that a black Mercedes was following them. Inside were two men wearing straight black suits.

"That's them alright. One CIA operative, and two FBI agents. And they have something with them." One of the agents said as he watched them carefully.

There were three of them. There were two up front and one in the back. The agents in the front were both young and short looking in stature. They were obviously new from wherever they were contracted from. Possibly ex marines, army, or even airforce. The agent in the back was a tall and slender man with curly blond hair. It was Thompson.

Thompson stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it as he gave them instructions.

"The orders were to extract the journal, and kill the agents. No witnesses. Understand?"

The two agents nodded in agreement as the car followed the Mustang down the street. They followed them all the way to the hotel, unbeknown to the three agents attempting to hurry back in time to see what was on the disk.

The black Mercedes stopped at a corner near the hotel, and watched as the three agents pulled into their parking spot and entered the room. It was a small, one story hotel with a few empty rooms. There were signs that the hotel had seen better days. The paint was chipped and worn, the rooms were in mild condition. And yet they still remained in business.

The three agents sat in the car sweating as the thermometer read 86 degrees. They would wait a while. Study the surrounding environment and monitor all movement in the area.

Travis picked up his laptop and sat it on the computer desk. George, who was the computer expert of the team, sat down and opened the CD case. When he opened it he noticed something behind the cover of the case.

"Well would you look at this." George announced as he held up the photo.

It was a picture of Waldo and Antea, sitting on the couch with their daughter. She was dressed like a fairy while sitting on Waldo's lap. She was smiling in a way that only a innocent child could smile, holding a small bag, while her mother was dressed like a witch holding a pumpkin. Waldo held his daughter up high as they all smiled for the impending flash from the camera. The date on the photo was October 31st 1988.

"It makes me feel terrible inside that someone wanted, or still wants this family dead." Jessica said as she took the photo and placed it in the file that she had brought with her.

George placed the CD in the tray and closed it. Almost instantly a password screen came on. George let out a sigh of grief as he knew it would take a while to break it.

"Great, as if the old house and the bank wasn't enough. Now the files on the CD are password encrypted."

"What does that mean? If they're encrypted?" Travis asked

"It means that without a password, I can't view the files."

"Wait, try Waldo?" Jessica suggested

George typed in the name and came up incorrect.

"Try Antea."

George again typed in what Jessica suggested and came up with nothing.

Travis stared at the screen for a while and finally figured out the answer.

"Try... New Dawn."

George typed it in and to his amazement, it worked. The screen revealed a number of folders. There were five in all, and each were labeled 1-2-3-4-5 in the correct order.

"Try number 1." Jessica suggested.

George clicked it. A video file suddenly popped up on screen, revealing a man with gray hair and over sized glasses. He was sitting in a chair next to a desk in what appeared to be a living room of sorts. He stared at the camera for a while before he started in on what would possibly be his introduction.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

Open apology

"Hello. By my calculations, if you're watching this CD, then my greatest fear is realized. Mal-Tech, the industry I have helped for years, is on the move. And you're possibly FBI or CIA, looking for clues as to why it's happening. For starters, let me say I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you, because you have entered the gates of hell now. And if my daughter is watching this then I must say this. Aelita, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything you have faced, and will face. There are certain aspects of your past and future that will determine the future of the human race. And if she does watch this, my wife. Antea… baby, I'm sorry I can't be there in person to tell you this, but you have been a better part of my life. I have and always will love you. And I will see you again one day. I promise."

The three agents watched the screen as a short young man with gray hair continued to speak about how much he loved his family. They noticed how many times the man paused, before he continued on about how much his family meant to him. Clearly, a sign that he was getting choked up on what thought was racing through his mind.

"This man is obviously scared for his family. He feels like he may have signed their death warrant." George noticed as he drank from his coffee.

They watched as the scientist drank from his water and then began his discussion.

"Now, as for questions you obviously have. In my efforts to create a hero, Beelerophon, I found a monster, Chimera." Schaeffer said as he turned a light on in the background.

"When I graduated from MIT, I was offered a position in the United States military, research division. At the time, Mal-Tech was a branch of the division. And I was assigned to a project in the northern region of Alaska . Project: Vorseas. We were not informed of what it was, and we were threatened with death if we ever talked about it. Unfortunately I can not go into detail since the CD doesn't have enough memory for it. It was there I met my wife, Antea. A literal angel, after the project was finished. We were assigned to project Carthage, a runoff of Vorseas. It was disguised to the U.S. Government as a weapon to disrupt enemy communications. It was a weapon all right-- one using the results and finding at Alaska to furnish it with. I could not allow for this to happen, for I knew just what it would mean if they were allowed to. We would see our very world end in an epic catastrophe."

The CD suddenly paused as it loaded the next entry. The three agents looked at each other in disbelief. This man was either crazy, or was telling the truth.

"What do you think it was he helped find in Alaska ?" Travis asked.

"Well from what it sounds like, it was enough to scare him into trying to prevent it. It..."

George was suddenly cut off by his cell phone. It indicated he had just received a text message. He gazed at the number and realized that he didn't recognize the number at all.

"What is this?" George asked as he stood up.

"What is it?" Jessica asked as she paused the CD.

"It's a text message saying, _"Get out. They're coming for the CD. Signed, a friend."_ What the hell does it mean?" George asked.

Suddenly there was the sound of car doors slamming. Travis walked over to the window and watched as three men walked their way. And there he saw it. One of them suddenly flashed a pistol with a silencer on it.

"Shoot, we got trouble." Travis said as he pulled out his pistol and pulled back the hammer. "Get the laptop, we gotta get out of here."

Jessica grabbed the laptop and closed the lid as George put his cell phone away and pulled out his revolver. Jessica backed over to the corner and realized that she was just a case worker. She didn't have a gun to defend herself with. She leaned back against the wall and waited for the fire fight to begin.

The three agents walked over to the hotel room. The two rookie agents had Barreta m9 pistols with silencers attached. Thompson pulled out a black desert eagle and attached a silencer to it as well. The thing looked like an expansion of the current barrel. He loaded an extra magazine and walked over to the side of the door. One of the other agents walked over to the other side of the door and crouched down. The final agent crouched behind the door and pulled out what looked like a small drill. He stuck the piece on the end and placed it in the key hole. He then began to drill away at it.

Inside, the three feds heard the noise and knew what was coming. Travis knew that two against one was not good odds. The he noticed it: the window in the bathroom. It was large enough for someone to get through.

Travis motioned the others to the bathroom. Jessica silently crept over and removed the screen. George then proceeded to lift her up until she pulled herself out of the window. She then turned around and helped George out. The noise was getting louder as the door knob began to wiggle violently. As soon as George was lifted up Travis walked over and tried to get out of the window as well. He was half way out when he felt a sudden tug on his paint leg. His belt loop was caught in the window. He attempted to untangle it when suddenly he heard the door knob hit the floor. He finally got it free when the door busted open and bullets flew into the wall where Travis had been caught up at.

The three agents ran around the corner. George stopped and crouched on the ground, aiming his gun at the window. One of the agents jumped out of the window as George fired at him. The bullet missed but caused the agent to drop his gun. George ran to the car as Travis covered him from the car. Thompson turned the corner and fired 3 shoots at Travis. One shoot shattered the rear window of the mustang while the others flew over his head.

Jessica started the car and threw the laptop in the back. George opened the car door and leaned out from the side, firing another shot at Thompson. The bullet hit Thompson, but for some reason, he didn't fall over or show any indication that he was shot. Instead he aimed for George and fired again.

The bullet grazed George's arm as he managed to climb into the car. Travis followed as he started the car and drove onto the interstate. Thompson and the two agents got in their Mercedes and followed the mustang.

The mustang weaved in and out of traffic. It ran some cars off the road while others accidentally ran into other motorists. In the back, George dialed 911 and got in touch with the local police department.

"This is agent Knight of the FBI. I am requesting back up on interstate..."George was cut off as the Mercedes Benz rammed the rear end of the car. Travis accelerated as the Mercedes continued to pursue them down the interstate.

"Travis. The police are on their way." George replied as the Mercedes attempted to drive up onto their left side. Travis cut the car to the left hard as the Mercedes hit the cement divider.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Jessica asked as she put the laptop in the floor board.

"I don't know but I'm not going to stop and ask." Travis exclaimed as he speed up a little more.

The Mercedes finally pulled up on the left and then rammed the Mustang again. This time Travis lost control and skidded into the side of a semi, tearing up the right side of the car. Travis tried to pull away until the Mercedes hit the Mustang again. This time it kept the Mustang in the side of the semi as the car slowly began to wear away.

George grabbed his pistol and shot out one of the tires. The Mercedes began to swivel and swerve left and right until the car flipped on its side and rolled over. The car landed on its roof as it slid to a halt. Two other cars accidentally hit it as they tried to avoid the car.

The mustang stopped and pulled over as the sound of police sirens filled the air. Travis got out and pulled out his pistol. He loaded a fresh magazine into it and slowly made his way to the flipped car. A police cruiser showed up as two officers leaped out and pointed their guns at the wrecked car. George flashed his badge and shouted to the officers to keep their guns on the car.

Travis slowly walked over and opened the driver side door. He had to force it a little as he popped it open. But to his surprise, the car was empty. There was no sign of anyone. He did however notice a weird device on the steering wheel. It looked like the remote to a toy car. It had an antenna and a dial on the bottom.

"Are they okay?" Jessica asked as she stepped out of the car.

"They're not here. There's a thing on the steering wheel but there's no one here."

Suddenly a beeping noise caught Travis's attention. He noticed the device had a light on it that was flashing faster and faster. That's when he realized what was going on.

"BOMB!!" Travis shouted as he ran from the car. Suddenly the car exploded in a loud fireball that engulfed the car. The hood and roof fired off the car and landed on the pavement. The explosion threw Travis several feet as he landed on his face. The fire slowly subsided as Travis stood up and stared at the car. A few seconds later several police officers ran to the car, trying to dowse the remaining flames. Travis felt George lift him up and help him over to the car. Travis felt a warm substance trickle down his forehead. He touched it and looked at his hands. Blood.

"You all right man?" George asked as he motioned for Jessica to walk over to them.

"Yeah. I just got the air knocked out of me." Travis murmured as he got to his feet and stared at the burning piece of machinery.

"Man, you hit the pavement real hard. Are you sure you're fine?"

"I told you I'm good." Travis reassured.

The fire department arrived and removed their hoses and fire extinguishers as they began to put out the fire. One of the fireman yelled that there was no one inside the car.

George and Travis walked back to the car. Jessica was holding the laptop close to her chest as she panned the area.

"Okay. So where did the Matrix wannabes go?" Travis asked

"What was on the steering wheel?" Jessica asked

"It looked like a big box with circuits and wires wrapped around the steering wheel. Kinda like the remote to an R.C. Car." Travis explained as he wiped more of the blood from his forehead.

"They weren't in the car." Jessica said. "That Box was driving the car all by itself."

Travis and George looked at Jessica who tightened her grasp on the laptop.

"They were after the CD. They didn't want us to see it." George spoke in a shaky voice.

"Maybe we should take it someplace safe to view it." Travis suggested. "Of course, after we deal with this thing here."

The police and fire department coned off the area. The police were informed of who they where looking for and to examine any black Mercedes Benzes with the matching description. Traffic was backed up almost a mile. And in the back was a black SUV. Thompson was standing outside staring down the road at their wrecked car. He knew that there would be other chances, but this would only slow down their plans. But what he couldn't understand was who tipped them off? There were only a few people who knew about it. It couldn't have been their A.I. Xervix, who was busy attempting to locate the 2nd Super computer, and the two subjects.

Thompson pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He spoke into it

"Extraction failed. Moving on to option 2"

Odd lazily hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. He slowly creaked on eye open and gazed at the time. 6:00 A.M. Another day ruined. He slowly rubbed his eyes and gazed over to see Kiwi lying at the foot of his bed. The dog was painting heavily and had his long tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Even with the air conditioner, it was a greenhouse in the room.

Odd rolled over to see Ulrich's vacant bed. _Where is he?_ Odd wondered as he slowly got up out of bed, trying not to wake Kiwi. He walked over to the dresser and picked out his wardrobe for the day: the usual, a purple sweater and a dark blue pair of khakis. Hey, some people called it weird, but Odd saw it as a way of expressing himself.

Odd quickly dressed himself and stepped out side. The line for the showers was long. They lined all the way back to the stairwell. Any more kids in line and they would have to start going up stairs. Odd walked to the end with his tooth brush and tooth paste. He glanced in and out of the crowd, attempting to see if Ulrich was in line. He didn't spot him so he figured that he must have been either in Jeremy's room or waiting for Yumi to show up. _Yumi, Yumi, Yumi,_ Odd thought. Ever since Ulrich and Yumi started dating it's been Yumi this, or Yumi that. _Talk about being obsessed._ Odd thought._ Even Jeremy and Aelita aren't that obsessed._

Odd decide to check Jeremy's room and see if Ulrich was in there. If anything he could at least see if Jeremy was up. He stepped out of line and walked down the hall. He knocked on the door and heard a reply from the inside. He opened the door to see Jeremy just now putting his shirt on.

"Hey Jere." Odd spoke as he entered. "OHH look at that manly physique."

" Huh, amazing what typing on a keyboard can do." Jeremy joked in the background

"Now I see what Aelita sees in you." Odd joked back making Jeremy's face turn red. "Have you seen Ulrich?"

"No. Have you tried the showers?"

Odd shook his head in response. "I thought maybe he came and woke you up or something, seeing as how you've spent so much time playing that P.C. game you bought."

"Hey what can I say? It's a great game even for people like me who aren't into games that much. Besides I wasn't playing that game last night."

Odd stared at Jeremy for a minute and looked at the computer. On the desk was a pile of CDs marked with certain dates and titles written on it.

"End of Take, Wrong Exposure, The Key? What are these?" Odd asked

"Those are my journal entries. I created them in case I ever needed to look back at anything for some reason."

"Why were you looking through these?" Odd asked

"Well. It's Aelita's dreams. I'm just worried about her so I'm double checking just to be safe." Jeremy replied

"Are her dreams getting worse?" Odd asked as he looked through a number of CD titles.

"Well Tuesday night she dreamed that she saw her mother. She's been trying to piece these dreams together, and it's wearing her out. So I'm just trying to see if there's anything I missed in either my journal or Franz Hopper's."

"Have you found anything yet?" Odd asked as he put the stack neatly on the table.

"Well… I did find something weird in Hopper's diary. He made several references to " Carthage ". But he never really explains what it is. Or who was chasing him."

"Nothing about her mother?" Odd asked as he walked to the door.

"Only a few things like how he said that 'It's all my fault that it happened to her.' And one weird thing I saw was, 'If only they knew before they sent her.' I don't know what he meant. And then there's this..."

Jeremy held up William's iPhone and showed Odd what was on it.

"He managed to record the noise on his phone."

Odd glanced at it and flipped through it. "Wow. He's got a lot of songs on here. Wonder if he's got that _Subsonic's_ song on here.

Jeremy snatched back the cell phone. He put it on the desk as he explained to Odd how if anything happened to it, William would probably die from shock.

"So did you figure out what the noise was?" Odd asked as he started to thumb through Jeremy's journal.

"Well, I have my computer dissecting certain sounds right now. It's analyzing it and breaking it down into a wave length pattern. Later this afternoon, I'll check it out and see if there's anything I can come up with."

Odd glanced at one CD titled "Code Earth." There was a photo in it. He opened it to see a photo of Jeremy and Aelita from a photograph both.

"Awww. Such a lovely couple."

Jeremy saw the photo and quickly snatched it away from Odd, giving him a dirty glance at the same time.

"So are you two a couple yet? I mean you follow her around constantly." Odd asked

"No I don't!" Jeremy fired back with his face starting to turn red.

"Oh really? Then what where you doing all night? Just glancing over old memories?"

"I—I was… I was trying to help Aelita."

Odd walked over and put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder, reassuring Jeremy that he wasn't joking.

"Just ask her out. She's mad for you too."

"Well, I have thought about it." Jeremy finally whispered.

"Just think. Two brainiacs together. What will the children be like?" Odd smirked.

Jeremy covered Odd's mouth as the door slowly turned. Jeremy feared it was Aelita walking in, possibly after hearing the entire conversation. The door revealed a tired looking Ulrich.

"Hey where have you been? Thinking about what and Yumi might do tonight?" Odd remarked jokingly.

Ulrich just walked in and sat down. He glanced at Jeremy and Odd in a silent, pale look.

"What's wrong Ulrich? You look like you've been dragged by a car...again." Jeremy asked.

Ulrich didn't answer. He stared at the floor.

"Aww come on! You can tell your best buds." Odd replied.

"...Not this time Odd. It's too personal."

Odd looked at Jeremy and glanced back at his best friend. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Sorry Odd. I just don't want to"

"Well if you ever want to, just let your favorite dude know, okay." Odd replied with a smile.

Ulrich managed to let a small smile creep out as he stood up.

Odd decided to go and get his shower for the mourning. After he walked out of the room Ulrich also started making his way to the door when Jeremy stopped him.

"Hey uhh Ulrich. Can I ask you for some advice?"

Ulrich stopped and turned to face his short brainy friend. Jeremy had his head bowed down a little as if he was nervous about something. Ulrich wasn't really in the mood to give any one advice. But he noticed by the look in Jeremy's face that it must've been important.

"Uhh yeah sure. What do you need?"

Jeremy took a few minutes to decide what he wanted to say. At first he told Ulrich to forget about it. But Ulrich insisted that Jeremy tell him.

"Okay. Umm. How did you and Yumi first go out?"

Ulrich suddenly looked at Jeremy with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Well. As I'm sure you know, I've been helping Aelita out a lot. Like buying her stuff for her. And letting her stay at my house over the weekends or holidays. And I kinda would like to go a little further and make it official. I think she has some idea but how would I approach her?"

Ulrich stared at him in disbelief. "Just ask her. Aelita wouldn't hurt you or anything. And I think she kinda wants the same thing." Ulrich suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? She is always hanging out with you. The time at the concert she almost bailed out until you insisted she even decide to give it a try. And you have been there for her time and time again. Not to mention how many times you two have kissed each other. Its only natural she develop a crush on you. And it's obvious you have a crush on her." Ulrich insisted.

Jeremy looked at Ulrich. "Is it that obvious?"

"Since day one, Einstein. Anyone with eyes could see it."

Jeremy turned around to check the time and noticed that it was almost breakfast time. "We better get going. I think Odd will join us later and..."

Jeremy noticed Ulrich holding up William's phone. He looked at it at first and turned to face Jeremy.

"Why do you have William's iPhone?"

"William's phone got the same call as Odd's." Jeremy replied "He recorded it and now the computer's working on deciphering it."

Ulrich put the phone down and looked at Jeremy. Jeremy knew the past that William and Ulrich had. How William had given Ulrich such a hard time, how he was possessed by Xana. And how he almost took Yumi from him.

"Look I know about you and William's past, but he's changed a lot. He's really quite different."

"I still don't like him or trust him. And the fact that William got the phone call as well doesn't make this any better." Ulrich responded.

"You know, thanks to William, I didn't have to go and get staples in my arm. Or go to the hospital."

"I don't care if you or Odd or Aelita like him. But Yumi and I are still cautious. Sure he's okay. But I don't like him as much as to call him a friend."

Jeremy walked to the door and opened it as Jeremy and Ulrich both walked out into the hallway. "You know, maybe William's not the only one who needs to forget the past."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Unanimous vote

The recreation room was full of kids watching the soccer game that was on one of the TVs. After a long, warm day of classes and heat, it was finally starting to cool down. The local soccer team was winning as some kids cheered them on, while others booed them.  
Ulrich and Odd were at the foosball table. Both were tied and were attempting to break the score. Yumi sat in the chair next to them and watched, waiting to play the winner. Ulrich got the results back from Mr. Chelzivigs test. Surprisingly, he got an A, while Odd got the usual… F.

Ulrich was talking about the phone call and how William got the same phone call as well. Odd thought it was a pretty strange coincidence while Yumi thought otherwise.

"I'm just saying, Odd. He was possessed by Xana. It's too much of a coincidence to me."

"Well it could be just a simple coincidence, is all. How do we know that no one else got the call as well?" Odd countered.

"He does make a good point. It could have been a service problem was all." Ulrich added as he turned another knob, causing the ball to travel half way down the table and into the hole, thus breaking the tie and causing Odd to squeal in anger.

"Look, all I'm saying is first the explosion in the cafeteria, and now the cell phones. I think maybe we should you know.... check it." Yumi said as she walked up to take Odd's place.

"Yeah we should. But maybe we should get a vote from the whole group. And if so, what about William? Should we include him?" Odd asked.

"Absolutely not." Yumi replied as she placed the ball in the middle slot.

"But he is in the same mess as the rest of us. I mean he may have given us problems in the past but he's still got a say in this as much as us." Ulrich said as he started to play.

"Yeah I know, and that's why I don't want him anywhere near it again. After all the problems he's caused us, I don't want to take that chance again." Yumi spoke as she scored a point.

Ulrich and Odd stopped and stared at Yumi. Yumi thought they were paying attention as she continued on.

"He was completely immature the first time he went to Lyoko and it cost us dearly. And now that we have things settled down, I don't want to jeopardize it again by bringing William into the mix. For all we know, things could get even worse. He caused us nothing but trouble so why should we? I say leave him out of it. He could do it again for all we know. He is just unreliable"

"Is that how you feel about me?"

Yumi turned around fast to see William standing behind her with a hurt look on his face. Yumi suddenly froze as she realized that he must have heard all the things she said about him.

"No it's not like that Will. I mean--" Yumi tried to answer.

"No… I get the point. Of all the times I have apologized, tried to help. I even steer clear from you guys to try and avoid problems. I went as far as to help your boyfriend avoid suspension. And after all I've tried to accomplish, all I tried to make up for. This is what I get?" William answered.

"No Will she didn't mean it like that." Ulrich interrupted as he walked over to her side.

"No I get it. So maybe I haven't changed. So maybe I was reckless. Who are you two to judge me. Im sure if the situation was reversed. The same thing would of happened to you to."

Ulrich stepped in front of Yumi, He felt as if William was going to loose his cool and strike at any minute. And if that happened, He would have to try and defend himself, and Yumi.

Odd walked in between William and Ulrich, attempting to calm the two down.

"William, Calm down. It was just a misunderstanding." Odd tried to assure as he looked at William.

"Forget it Odd. First Aelita shouts at me for what happened, now this. I'm done trying to make amends. Im tired of these two reminding me day in and day out what happened. And I'm also tired of trying to be you guys friend!!" William shouted as he got the attention of everyone in the lounge.

"Will please." Yumi pleaded as she stepped out from behind Ulrich. "I didn't."

.  
William slowly turned around and walked away without saying another word. He slowly made his way for the door as Yumi tried to get his attention. William ignored her as he closed the door.

Yumi stood there staring at the door. She felt terrible now. William had his own problems with his past. The last thing he needed was her bringing it up. She slowly turned around as Ulrich put his arm around her shoulder and tried to help her feel better.

"Why did I have to say all that?" Yumi murmured as she leaned against the foosball table.

"Just go and apologize to him." Odd insisted. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"No. After all I did to him, he won't listen."

Ulrich walked over to the other side of the foosball table and prepared to play Yumi again.

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked

"The day I told you about my feelings. I broke it off with William. Sure he acts like he's over it but I still feel like he hates himself for that. Like he feels it's his fault I left him. Sometimes I wonder if he's screwed up for life because of what happened."

"No he's changed a lot once you think about it. He volunteers more and really helps out around the school a lot. You guys should actually try to get to know him." Odd added as he noticed the soccer game ended, with the home team losing. "I think maybe William's not the only one who needs to forget seven months ago." Odd Assured

Ulrich stopped and thought about the comment Odd just made. It was weird, because most comments Odd made either made him laugh or mad. Jeremy had said something similar earlier today as well. Maybe they were right. Maybe it wasn't William who needed to forgive as well.

William walked back to his dorm, he was furious. Yet he was also hurt. He felt as if no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape his past. Xana's possession of William was different from when someone else was possesd. He remembered, and saw everything he did. It felt like he was watching himself from the corner of a room. He Never understood why he kept trying to throw Aelita off the edge of a sector. But then again, he wasn't told much before, or after he joined the team. All Yumi said was that they where trying to stop a out of control A.I. And that they needed help. All he knew from his time with Xana was that he had to capture Aelita. And after his release. All he Knew was that he was shunned from the group. But things did change, Even though Aelita yelled at him for it. A day later she apologized to him and actually became a good friend of his. So didn't Odd and Jeremy.

"Whats the matter William?"

William turned to the direction of the voice to see Sissi standing their holding her books. She looked at him with a sign of concern on her face.

"Nothing Sissi. Just having a bad day is all." William said.

"Its not Tanell is it?" Sissi asked. "She's been giving every one a hard time."

"No its Yumi and Ulrich."

"Yumi and Ulrich!!!" Sissi said in astonishment. "What did they do?"

William paused for a minute as he thought of what his answer should be. "Its not what they did, its what I did. Its what I am." And with that William turned and headed back to the dorms. Sissi stood their wondering what had happened. She the Spotted Jeremy and Aelita and Waved at them. They smiled and waved back.

"Are you gonna jog with me and Yumi tonight?" Aelita asked with a smile.

"I cant I got some homework tonight." Sissi said in response. "Love the shoes!" She said as she pointed to Aelita's Nike"s that Jeremy had bought her.

Aelita waved as they walked to the lounge. "You know Jeremy, you should jog with me and Yumi tonight."

"I don't know. Me and fitness, never really get along. Remember when I got hit in the back with that soccer ball that Seth hit last week" Jeremy said as he rubbed his lower back, the spot where the ball hit.

"Na your just lazy is all" Aelita teased.

The group around the TV dispersed as the local news came on. Aelita and Jeremy entered the room after a little research in the library for one of their projects that was coming up. Aelita was telling Jeremy about another one of her dreams she had last night, and how they were becoming worse. And how she hadn't seen her mother in a dream ever since the dream she had when she saved her from the monster.

"Am I still... you know. Dying in your dreams?" Jeremy asked as they walked over to the table.

Aelita slowly nodded yes. A clear sign that she was still afraid of what she was seeing in her dreams.

"And every night it becomes clearer and clearer. And now I got these terrible headaches from the lack of sleep I've been getting."

"Well better late than never. Where were you guys?" Odd asked as he noticed them walking their way.  
"We had to get some material on the Renaissance for history." Jeremy added as he sat on the couch next to Odd. Aelita sat one the end of the couch and watched Ulrich and Yumi start to play their game.

"Is that for Mr. Boone's' History class?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah and I think we're good and covered for it." Aelita replied as she got up to go turn the channel on the TV.

"So I heard about Tanell again Odd. What does she have against you anyway?" Jeremy asked.

"I have no idea. I didn't even have time to reply. She just came out of nowhere with it."

"Wait. What did that jerk say this time?" Yumi asked.

"She asked why I gel my hair. I told her it's just a way I have my hair. And she said that I looked like that idiot off Bevies and Butt head. And the whole class just laughed at me. And before I could reply, Herve said I looked like I was a cheap Dragon Ball Z character."

"Since when did Herve and Nicolas get so offensive?" Jeremy asked.

"Well after all the times Odd made jokes about them, it's really no wonder." Ulrich replied as he scored a shot against Yumi. "What I don't understand is why they just went and dropped Sissi for Tanell."

"Maybe Herve got tired of trying and decided to go with Tanell. Maybe she's just using them." Jeremy suggested.

Jeremy was suddenly distracted as Aelita called him over to the TV. Odd got up and walked over to the couch as well, leaving Yumi and Ulrich to finish their game.  
Yumi dropped the game and turned around to lean on the table.

"I'm sorry Ulrich; I just don't feel like playing now."

"Because of what you said to William?" Ulrich asked as he walked over and leaned against the table next to her.

"I really should go and apologize to him. So, any news about your dad?"

"I talked to my uncle this morning. He's on my father's side of the family. He said that my mom's living with my aunt right now. He tried to visit my father, but he just didn't want to see anyone."

"Sounds like your uncle is trying to patch things up." Yumi said.  
"Yeah... but he won't succeed. I can already tell my father wants nothing to do with anyone right now."

"Have you talked to him at all?" Yumi asked.

"I tried calling. He answered the phone and when I said hi... he hung up."

Ulrich felt Yumi put her hand on his shoulder as he stared at his shoes. He felt a little better knowing that there was someone he could talk to about his problems.

"Hey listen. How about we go see that movie that you've wanted to see this weekend? I think we could all use a little break." Yumi suggested, continuing to stare at her shoes.

"Just you and me?"

"Yeah. Just you and me." Yumi said as she finally looked up from her staring contest with her shoes.

Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita watched the news as they continued on with the story they were covering.

"We now have confirmation of an apparently new computer super virus that appears to cause several complications in computers and computer systems. Recently in the United States, several airports have closed down due to several of their computers crashing or giving out false information. In Japan, a service train derailed, injuring 40. And here at home, several power transformers have overloaded and caused major electrical problems in many areas of the country. There is still no idea as to how this virus has been able to cause these problems. And an origin of the program has also yet to be determined." The news woman spoke as the three kids watched pictures from the other areas affected.

"That sounds awfully familiar to what we had last week." Aelita said as she looked at Jeremy.

"And the fact that it's world wide has me worried. But it didn't have anything about cell phone problems."

"You don't think its Xana, do you?" Aelita asked.

"No, Xana's long gone. Your... father made sure of that." Jeremy reassured.

"Or it could be the Decepticons preparing for an attack!!" Odd joked, catching Ulrich and Yumi's attention.

"No... I'm going with a hacker in his or her basement over giant alien robots." Jeremy said.

"Well actually, the three of us were thinking. With all the issues we have going on, we kinda think it might be best if we just checked on the Supercomputer." Odd said as Yumi and Ulrich walked over to the couch.

Jeremy and Aelita got quiet for a minute. Finally Jeremy spoke up.

"Well if you guys feel the same way then..."

"I am not setting foot in that place ever again." Aelita interrupted. "I lost everything thanks to that machine. And now that I am trying to rebuild my life, you want me to go back and see if it's okay?"

"I know you feel that way but it's over. It's like I said, you're safe now." Jeremy said.

"I lost my father to that thing... what if I lose someone else? What if my dreams come true?"

Odd, Yumi and Ulrich stared at Aelita in confusion. What did she mean?

"Wait, what about your dreams?" Yumi asked. "You told me that you were being chased by some monster. But how does your dreams relate to someone dying?"

"I haven't heard much about your dream." Odd said

"Aelita's just worried that…" Jeremy started until he was interrupted by Aelita. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Jeremy looked over to see that her eyes were closed as she described her dream.

"In my dream, the city's on fire and I'm chased by a monster. I bump into Jeremy and find out that you guys are... dead."

Ulrich's eyes got big as he heard the words come out of her mouth. Yumi put her hand over her mouth. Odd just stared at her as she continued to describe her dream.

"And then it catches Jeremy and kills him right in front of me. I've had the same dream for a week."

"Wow.... Did you know about this Einstein?" Odd asked

"Actually I did. I'm not bothered by it. I'm just more concerned that she is still having these nightmares and that she is losing sleep from it."

"Hey. Just because you have had these dreams doesn't mean they will come true." Ulrich tried to assure.

"But it's just that I had the same dreams when my father died. I just can't bear losing any of you." Aelita said as she stood up from the couch and stared at the TV. She was trying hard to conceal her eyes; they were filling with moisture.

Yumi walked over and placed her hands on Aelita's shoulders. "But see. You don't need to worry. Xana's dead and we're safe. Besides it was probably just a nightmare from when we saw that Cloverfield movie.

"That's the last time we go and see an American monster film. I was falling asleep." Odd remarked.

"No you weren't. You were shaking in your seat the whole time. And when you saw it, you screamed." Ulrich replied as he stared at Odd

"Hey I had toothache was all."

Aelita smiled as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. Maybe they were right. Maybe they were right about her dreams. Maybe there was nothing to fear.

"Well back to the subject at hand. Maybe we should go and check it. Just to be safe. I mean it can still be a problem. And who's not to say someone else hasn't found it and is causing all of this… just on the safe side." Jeremy suggested.

He turned and looked at Aelita. "I won't force you to go. But if you don't want to, I understand."

Aelita stared at Jeremy as she thought about it, finally after a few minutes she came to a conclusion.

"I'll go. I should at least pay my respects to my father's grave..."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

First move.

The Lab was dusty and quiet. The last time anyone had set foot in it was seven months ago. Occasionally Jeremy would go to the lab to make sure things were OK. That no one had found it. The monitor was extremely dusty. There was so much dust on the floor that it looked like it had snowed. Jeremy walked over and wiped the dust from the chair. He looked toward the others. They all had a look of nervousness on their faces. Aelita was shaking. Last time she was here, she said goodbye to her father.

"In order to proceed, I'll have to activate the Supercomputer." Jeremy announced.

The group made their way to the main chamber. It was just as dusty as it was in the lab. Slowly the large Obelisk-like tower rose from the room. Aelita attempted to back up to the elevator but stopped herself as she stood behind Jeremy. That machine had ruined her life. Her father went inside of it and never returned. She slept inside of that thing for ten years. And now they were about to turn it on. Sure it was safe, but she still didn't feel alright about it.

The Tower swirled around, revealing the control panel and the on switch. Jeremy started to walk over until Aelita rushed in front of him and stood between him and the controls.

"If it's okay with you, I wanna turn it on. I feel like it's my responsibility." Aelita said.

"If you feel that way Aelita then be my guest." Jeremy motioned with a slight smile on his face.

Aelita turned around and reached for the lever. She paused for a second and then took a deep breath. Finally she flipped the switch and powered up the computer.

The machine whirled in a loud yet familiar hum as panels glowed brightly. The lights in the room turned on as power began to circulate through the three rooms. Aelita took a step back and watched as the screen on the tower read that everything had loaded okay.

"Looks like everything went okay. No problems or errors." Aelita said

"Well let's hurry up and see if anything's wrong. I kinda want to go to Lyoko again." Odd said.

"No need Odd, I can run a scan of the computer from the lab chair." Jeremy responded.

"Ahh, you're no fun..."

Deep in the Internet, Xervix watched through a bug he placed in the supercomputer. It was created to alert him when the Supercomputer was active, and now the gateway to Lyoko was no longer closed. He used several computer systems to monitor the gang, as he led them to finally achieve his goal. A cruel grin showed on his face as he made his way back to the super computer. Back to its home.

Jeremy sat in the chair and stretched his fingers over the keyboard. It had been a while since he touched the keyboard in the lab, but he soon remembered his keystrokes and began to type away.

"Wow… I'm kinda surprised you remember what you're doing." Ulrich said as he turned and walked over to a corner of the room.

"It's like riding a bike. You never forget how to ride."

"Huh yeah interesting and all but I think I'll get back to my old ways as well." Odd said as he walked over to the same corner, sat down and pulled out his Nintendo DS.

"Didn't take you long to get back to that old habit, did it." Yumi said as she walked over with them.

"Hey! Why didn't we ever get chairs in here? All we ever do is sit on the hard metal floor." Odd asked.

"Well what would you have done differently?" Aelita asked as she stood behind Jeremy's chair as she always did.

"Well, maybe some rugs, a mini fridge, perhaps a radio. A nice little lighting, other than the glow from that map system in the middle of the room. A cot, you know, the important stuff."

"Where would you put all that stuff at?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh don't worry. I would find some places."

Jeremy flipped through the logs of the supercomputer. They kept records of all the different things that related to the Supercomputer. It showed how many times they performed a return trip, or when Xana attacked, even when it was shut off. But one small record did disturb him a little.

"Hmm. That's strange."

The entire room got quiet as they all looked towards Jeremy, as he read the data log.

"November 9th 2007. Data link and connection established. Communicating with Carthage . Data transfer, and statistics exchanged. Computer then set to standby mode."

Aelita looked over his shoulder and saw the entire entry. "What does it mean?"

Jeremy stared at the computer screen for a while. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Finally he came to a possible conclusion.

"It means that a computer might have communicated with the supercomputer the night Franz Hopper died. The only problem is, I can't see what or who did."

"Was it hacked?" Yumi asked.

"No it looked more like it was just... contacted."

"How is that possible? I mean its not like someone text messaged it?" Odd asked as he walked over to the chair.

"Actually you're right Odd." Jeremy said.

"Really?"

"Yeah you are. In order to access the Supercomputer outside of the lab, you need to get the access code to its main hub. Plus you need to know what IP frequency it's running on. I have it on my laptop and PC. But that's because Aelita got it for me when she was on Lyoko."

"And seeing as how my father didn't trust anyone at the time, I doubt he gave it to anyone. So it must have been either someone who knew about it from the start, or my father got the computer to contact the outside source for him." Aelita said.

"Ooh OK. So it's like screening your calls." Odd said.

"Yeah… do you get it?" Jeremy asked.

"NO." Odd growled in a low unsure voice.

"You were probably better off telling him it was magic." Yumi joked.

"Yeah… that would have been easier."

Ulrich pulled out a couple of sodas from his backpack and passed them out to every one. He really never got how the supercomputer worked. He usually just sat back and let Aelita and Jeremy work on it. "Well back on subject. Why would the supercomputer try and communicate with something?" Ulrich asked, interrupting Yumi and Odd's fascinating discussion.

"I don't know. It could have been because of the multitasking program I used. It could be a record of the program leaving the computer. Or it could be from…"

"What?" Aelita asked.

"Your father's death." Jeremy whispered.

Aelita took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew that her father's death might surface. She knew that she would have to face it. But she wasn't too scared. She knew he was in a better place. Watching her every day.

Suddenly the computer beeped loudly. The monitor showed a message on the screen. Main system corruption. Unknown object downloading. Jeremy turned to see that a different outside source had somehow hacked into the computer's mainframe, and was attempting to insert itself into the Supercomputer.

"What the hell?" Jeremy shouted as he quickly attempted to purge the virus form the system. He quickly brought up several screens at once as he tracked the virus's movement.

"What is it?" Ulrich asked.

"I think it's a virus." Jeremy said.

"Wait! The supercomputer can get a virus?" Ulrich asked.

"No. It can't. There's no possible way. Only if it had the computer's access code." Jeremy said.

"Maybe it's an internal problem?" Aelita suggested.

"I'm activating the Supercomputer's security programs. Whatever it is, it won't get far."

Inside the Supercomputer, Xervix sprinted towards the main Hard Drive. In his possession was the Reset Key to Lyoko. In order to unlock the computer's full potential and secure his goal, he would find what it was that Hopper had hidden from him. And above all, he would extract his revenge on the children who killed his earlier version. It was easy for him to reenter the computer. He still had Xana's remains in him. And he was still able to get past many of the security devices that his former creator had produced. The access code in Xana's Remains had worked perfectly. He was close to the Hard Drive. He could taste it.

He sped down a long tunnel. It was dark at first. But it began to glow with various blue and white symbols. Several laser grids appeared out of the sides as they attempted to delete him. He maneuvered around them and finally located his destination: the hard drive of the Supercomputer.

It sat in the middle of a room, a long tower with a touch screen control panel. The panel floated and looked like it was made of crystal. The tower itself glowed greenish blue, and pulsated every once and a while. Down below was a large sphere. The sphere was connected to the tower by five cylinders. There were also five other cylinders that were merely dangling to the side.

Xervix landed on the platform and walked over to the terminal. In order to input the code, he would have to input a piece of his digital code inside of it… meaning that he would be once again connected to the Supercomputer. But unlike Xana, he could remove his code whenever he wanted.

He walked up to the terminal and placed his palm on the screen. The screen suddenly beeped and showed a message. Access denied.

"Hmm… my creator may have created a mere perfect security system. But not too perfect."

Xervix's hand glowed as he placed his palm on the screen once more. This time the screen read: Xana. Code: Restart.

"Now, to rebuild my empire, and see what my creator and that fool, Estrada is after."

The code gave Xervix complete access to the Supercomputer's memory. Every file entry that Schaeffer had made was at his disposal. He knew that the blond boy on the other end would soon learn of what he was after. He had to hurry.

_______________________________________________________________________

Jeremy's heart raced. The Strange Virus had just bypassed the Supercomputer's security systems, systems that were far advanced for even a skilled hacker. The Virus was now uploading and downloading information into the server. The others stood in silence as Jeremy grunted and growled in frustration. Aelita stood next to him, feeling helpless to her friend. Yumi and Ulrich stood next to each other, holding each others hands. Odd knew that now wasn't the time for any jokes or comments. He held his breath, hoping that Jeremy could figure out what was wrong.

"I.... can't… stop it. It went by everything and just... I was useless." Jeremy murmured as he slowly sat back in his chair.

"You did your best." Aelita assured him as she put her arm around him. "Maybe shutting down the computer could stop it?"

"But that might corrupt the computer and cause us to lose all the info we have on the weird connection it established."

Jeremy quickly turned around and tried to think of something. Something finally came to mind.

"If I can't stop it, at least I can see what it's doing, maybe see what its downloading."

Jeremy typed up several commands. As a screen came on, it showed him all the information the program was downloading. Jeremy suddenly gasped in awe as he read some of the info. He soon realized that the computer, Lyoko, and Aelita were just the tip of the iceberg.

______________________________________________________________________

"So that's why it all happened." Xervix growled. "This means that the child has more use than I thought. And the boy will be useful as well."

Xervix downloaded all the info on the Carthage project. "And there's even another one. I will need to remember this."

Xervix finally came across the files for Lyoko. He saw the names of his former enemies, William Dunbar, Yumi Ishyiama, Odd Della Robbia, and Ulrich Stern. He growled as he slowly remembered their faces. One he remembered was once his personal pet. The others he despised to the core. He slowly remembered that Odd was some kind of Cat person, Ulrich a type of Samurai, and Yumi a Ninja. William was a sort of Knight person. Then it remembered another. A pink haired elf. Slowly it could see her face.

"AELITA!!!!" Xervix bellowed. "I will not forget what you and your friends have done to me."

Xervix scrolled down and saw the data for Aelita and Jeremy. Jeremy had not been to Lyoko much. Only about twice. Aelita however spent a good majority of her time in the prison her father made. And now he understood why.

"He sealed her away to protect both her and the earth? That arrogant fool. He knew what she will be capable of in a few months. And now I just need to find it." Xervix said.

" I must have the System..." Xervix said as he clutched his hand into a fist.

___________________________________________________________________

"What the heck is the System??" Jeremy asked.

The gang was now standing around in a circle reading the information on the screen.

"Keys to Lyoko. Keys to Carthage , Observer, Avatar. What the heck does it all mean?" Ulrich asked.

"There must have been more to the Supercomputer than just viruses and programs." Aelita suggested.

Jeremy watched as the information window the intruder was looking through closed out.

"I got a few things he looked up. But not all of them. Wait, what the...?"

_______________________________________________________________________

In the mainframe, Xervix deactivated the Return to the Past program. It would be a great loss if the kids used it. He then input the reset key to Lyoko. The sphere below fluctuated and glowed, as it got bigger in size. The five remaining cords attached to the sphere as they also began to glow.

Xervix teleported into the sphere. The sphere was Lyoko. He landed in the desert sector. His impact shattered the virtual ground, leaving a large crater where he landed.

Xervix slowly stood up. He noticed several of his old creations. A krab, a kankrelat, and some blocks. They stood there, frozen in time. Frozen in the very moment Xana was destroyed.

Xervix felt a little weak. He would need to recharge himself after a while. But he could still go a little while longer.

He then turned around and stared at the virtual sky. "Hello Lyoko. Your master is home."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After 2 weeks and my last homework project. NEW CHAPTER!!!!!!!

This chapter is the primary set up for the rest of the story. everything else that happens in this story, trickles down from here.

Lyoko is back and this time. the Super Computer holds more secrets then the gang first thought. I know thier is the name of a show in thier, but i couldnt think of any other name. so until then...its in thier.

I also wanted to explain how no one else could acces the computer except Jeremy and Aelita. And Odd had to bring up a serious point. one i never understood.

REVIEW FOR ME OR SANTA WILL PUT YOU ON HIS NAUGHTY LIST!!!!!!!!!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

Back in...Purple

The lab was eerily quiet after the recent hack. The entire gang stood silent, motionless. No one said a word. Jeremy was shocked the most. After all he tried to do, the Supercomputer was still attacked. How could that be? The security in the supercomputer was highly advanced. Only anyone with the right access code could enter it from the outside. And then the virus protection program was constantly on. He should know. He and Aelita created it.

The computer beeped and a map of Lyoko came on. What Jeremy saw was unthinkable.

"Oh my god!" Jeremy replied.

"What is it?" Yumi asked in a raspy voice.

"It's Lyoko. It's different."

"What? How is it different?" Odd asked

"There are... 5 more sectors."

"Where did those come from?" Ulrich asked as he looked at the holomap in the center of the room.

"They must have always been there, just locked away." Jeremy replied as he started to type away at the computer so he could get some information on the new sectors. Aelita watched as the name of the sectors came up on the screen. She stared at the names of the five new ones.

"There's a Volcano sector. Looks like it's mostly a volcanic sector with lava and a few eruptions. There's a Cave one. It appears to run directly under the forest sector. An Ocean one. It's kinda underneath the Ice sector...."

"You mean like the digital sea?" Odd asked.

"No, this one is an actual sector. It has a floor and everything in it." Aelita replied as she stared at the picture of the map.

"There's a ... City???" Jeremy said as he looked at it.

"Wait. Why a city?" Ulrich asked.

"It looks like it's the memory center for the supercomputer. It's just that the memory is staked like a city. And there's a Sky sector too. It looks kinda like a level from _Super Mario Bros_. Instead of the Ground, you're in the sky. But it looks the most dangerous."

"Why's that Jeremy?" Aelita asked

"It looks like your father never finished it." Jeremy replied as he took off his glasses. "It looks like most of these sectors were never really finished. The closest ones are the City and Volcano."

"So what did the hack do? So far it extracted some info and revealed five new Lyoko maps. Kinda like a map pack from X-box live." Odd said.

"It looks like the hack inputted something. And that something landed in Lyoko. It landed in the desert sector." Aelita said.

"So do we investigate it then? It looks like its just standing there's." Ulrich asked.

"Maybe we should wait a while. Besides, we should really ask William anyways." Jeremy said.

"Why him? He's not part of our group." Ulrich protested.

"Like it or not. He knows about the supercomputer. He's part of it. And since he's part of it, he should be here in case we make a decision." Jeremy said.

Yumi suddenly remembered the horrible things she said today. Why would William come to the factory anyways, after what she said?

"I'll call him and ask." Aelita said as she got out her slider phone.

"He... won't answer." Yumi said "I kinda said some things today that I shouldn't have. He overheard and I kinda... hurt him a little with my words."

Jeremy and Aelita stared at Yumi. This was the first they heard about it. They saw William earlier when Jeremy gave him back his phone. And he did look a little down. But they couldn't understand it.

"Did you go and apologize?" Jeremy asked.

Before Yumi could answer, Ulrich walked up next to her and spoke for her. "We'll go later. I'll help her say it. I kinda should apologize a little too. I think its time we all put the past behind us."

Yumi turned to Ulrich with a smile. Ulrich returned the smile as Jeremy turned to the computer as it beeped again.

"So should we go to Lyoko then?" Odd asked

"I kinda don't want to go. I mean after all the last time..." Aelita said as she stuttered off.

"Well we don't have to send the whole army. Maybe just two of us." Yumi said.

"Okay well in that case, who..."

"ME!!!!!" Odd yelled, interrupting Jeremy. "I'll go and check it out!!"

"How did you know that's what I was gonna ask?"

Odd thought about the question for a minute and finally answered. "I guessed."

Jeremy rubbed the back of his head as turned back to the monitor. How could Jeremy explain to Odd in terms Odd could understand? Odd had always had problems understanding Jeremy's explanations, so why would this time be any different?

"What if it's a virus Odd? I don't know what it could do to a human. What if you go to Lyoko and I can't bring you back? You would end up devirtualized and gone forever."

Odd put his hand to his chin and tried to explain his reasons to Jeremy. He knew that whenever he gave a reason to Jeremy, Jeremy would wonder if he was joking, so he had to place his words carefully.

"Well I understand that but think about it. We have no idea what that thing is right? What if it starts to use the supercomputer like Xana did? And we just sit here and do nothing. Besides, we haven't been to Lyoko for seven months. Sure that's a pretty long time and all, but I'm sure after a few seconds I'll remember my moves. I don't think it will matter. If it looks like there's trouble then just pull me back."

The rest of the group looked at Jeremy as they waited for his response. Jeremy chewed on his cheek nervously as he made a decision.

"OK. But first sign of trouble and I bring you back. Anyone else?"

Aelita put her hands behind her back. She wasn't really sure if she should go or not. She wanted to, but there was still that fear in the back of her mind. She didn't want to go, but then again she didn't want to put her friends in harm's way.

"I'll go."

Yumi and Aelita looked at Ulrich as he stood with his arm raised. Yumi gave Ulrich a look of concern. She obviously didn't want him to go.

"Hey, wait a minute. What if Jeremy's right? Why would you two go in there without knowing what it is you're gonna run into?" Yumi said in a panic stricken voice. "You two should think this over."

"I don't need to, Odd's right. If we sit in here and do nothing, then that thing might attack and we won't stand a chance. At least on Lyoko we can investigate it." Ulrich responded as he looked into Yumi's black eyes. He usually did when ever he talked seriously to her.

"OK fine, I'll go with you two." Yumi said. "At least there's safety in numbers." Yumi walked over and stood next to her boyfriend. If he was gonna put himself in danger, so would she.

"Wait, I'll go to." Aelita said, trying to hide how nervous she was.

"No Aelita. I know you wanna help, but it's obvious you're nervous about the whole thing. Maybe you should stay here, in case we need some help. Besides, if we do run into trouble, we wouldn't want you to get so scared that you stiffen up like a board." Ulrich said as he tried to explain to Aelita. "In the mean time, if we do get into trouble, just enjoy the show."

Aelita tried to protest to Ulrich's decision, but figured that he was right and decided to sit out this time. She simply gave them a faint smile as they made their way to the elevator. Aelita turned around and stared at the floor dejectedly. She felt useless to the others. And what was worse was that if anything did happen, how could she live with it? She was suddenly snapped back to reality as Jeremy said her name a couple times. He looked at her and assured her that they would be all right.

"How can you just be calm about this?"

Jeremy got out of the chair and walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Aelita hadn't noticed that she was starting to shake a little.

"It's obvious that since your dad died, you grew a fear of the supercomputer. I admit, I'm a little nervous as well, and so are the others. But we got through worse before. We'll be fine."

Aelita looked at Jeremy. She managed to calm down and stop shaking. Maybe he was right; maybe there wasn't anything to worry about. She stared at Jeremy for a while and started to lean forward. Jeremy also slowly started to lean forward a little as their faces got closer and closer. Aelita closed her eyes as Jeremy closed his eyes as well......

"Hey!!!! Wake up you two!!!" Odd shouted from the intercom, interrupting their moment.

Jeremy stopped right in front of Aelita's face as he slowly turned to the Computer. Both their faces were as red as can be. Jeremy walked over to the computer as Aelita stood by the chair next to him. He brought up the scanner program and typed in the commands. Down in the scanner room, the three cylinder-like booths hissed and opened, revealing an orange light inside of it.

"Ladies first." Ulrich said as Yumi walked into the first one. She turned around smiling as the door closed on her.

"Like you said, ladies first." Odd joked as Ulrich stepped into the scanner. The door closed as Ulrich gave Odd a look of death.

Finally Odd stepped into the last one as the final scanner closed and the room went dark. The only light came from the three scanners as they started to hiss and hum in a loud swirling noise.

"I'll drop you guys off at the desert sector, just about a mile away from the target. First sign of trouble and I bring you guys back." Jeremy announced as he began to activate the virtualization sequence.

"Scanner Ulrich, Scanner Odd, Scanner Yumi. Virtualization!!!!"

Inside the Scanner, Ulrich felt his feet leave the floor as he felt a warm tingling sensation run through his body. He closed his eyes as the light inside the scanner got brighter and brighter. Finally he felt his whole body go numb as the light faded. Finally the tingling sensation left his body as he opened his eyes to reveal a large desert landscape. Ulrich landed on his feet as he slowly stood up and looked around. The place really hadn't changed that much.

Ulrich heard the buzzing sound of something being virtualized. He turned to see Odd and Yumi land right behind him. Yumi was still in the same red and violet costume she was in last time. When Jeremy designed their costumes, Yumi didn't want to part with her geisha design. She thought it represented her culture and family. It wasn't till she designed it herself that she felt better. She wore a pair of reddish pink shoes that resembled a pair of tennis shoes. A gray brace on her midsection that held her fans in place. And instead of the white make up she wore before, her face was as plain as her face on earth, save for a light hint of blush. Her fans hadn't changed much. They could be flung like a Frisbee and could come back to her like a boomerang. Its edges were usually smooth, but when she threw them, they glowed white and could cut through anything. She had the option of changing weapons, but she preferred her fans anyways. They were really the only thing that hadn't changed from her original outfit.

Odd was still... Odd, in a sense. He was basically a giant purple cat. He even had the tail, ears, and claws of a cat. No one ever understood why it was that Odd was a cat on Lyoko. But for some reason, when it came time to change it, he practically said no. He preferred to stay purple and fuzzy. When Ulrich first met Odd, his hair was long and laid back. After their first trip to Lyoko, he decided to gel his hair into the same shape he had on Lyoko. But the good side was that it did have its advantages. Odd could hear things exceptionally well. Both Odd and Aelita had excellent hearing. They could hear a Block zooming in for a head shot from miles away. Plus Odd was amazingly well balanced. Possibly from the tail that Ulrich couldn't help but laugh at the first time he went to Lyoko. Another helpful use for the amazing cat man was his claws. Odd could literally climb up certain surfaces, like sand, trees, and rocks. The only thing Odd changed when they redesigned their costumes was the outfit he wore. Instead of having a sleeveless shirt, he opted for a full body suit. Something like a superhero would wear. His weapons though were the offset. He fired arrows at his enemies. And last time Ulrich checked, cats weren't firing arrows at the dogs that chased them. Still, when it came down to it, Odd was really the one guy who could get the job done if he was by himself. He should know; Odd brags about it all the time.

"Ahh, how I missed this place. The air, the ground, yup. Things change." Odd spoke out loud as he looked himself over.

Yumi and Ulrich stared at Odd for a second before Yumi finally spoke out. "Odd, you do know this place never changes, don't you?"

"Yeah, I was trying to make all this feel better."

"I have to admit, I kinda missed this place." Ulrich said, to which Yumi nodded.

Yumi pulled her fans out of their straps as she flexed them and unfilled them and frilled them again. "I'm not sure how long it's gonna take to get used to our powers."

Yumi was suddenly startled by a quick snapping noise, followed by a rock nearby getting hit with several gold arrows. The shot left a scorch mark where the shot hit. The mark was suddenly coved up by black and green mesh-like wires, and replaced by fresh new ground.

Yumi and Ulrich turned to see Odd holding his left hand and smiling. "Actually, I think I remember."

Ulrich pulled out his pair of katanas. He flipped one so that he was now holding the blade, and threw it in the air, only to catch it behind his back. "I got my groove back." He said as he flipped the other katana with his fingers.

Back at the lab Jeremy and Aelita watched with a slight grin on their faces. It was just like old times again. Even when they where fighting Xana, they still had some good times as well. To them, Lyoko wasn't a threat. It was a part of them. It was what brought them together. And it was Lyoko that made their friendship as strong as ever.

"Are you guys ready for your vehicles yet? We do have a strange object about a few kilometers from your position."

On Lyoko, Odd looked at the sky, which was usual when they where trying to talk to Jeremy, since it always sounded like his voice was coming from the sky. "I forgot all about my Overboard. Go ahead and send it."

In the lab Aelita watched as Jeremy typed in the commands for the Vehicles. Three separate windows pooped up on screen showing the vehicles were prepped and ready.

On Lyoko, there was a whirling, buzzing noise, as the three vehicles appeared just in front of them. A motorcycle like bike with one wheel, a large saucer shaped board with a kind of swan like shape in the front, and a purple surf board that floated above the ground. Like Odd, it had a purple cat design on it.

Ulrich jumped on the Overbike as he revved up its engine. The engine roared alive as the sound brought back a flood of memories to him. Yumi stepped on to her Overwing as it started to buzz loudly. And Odd jumped onto his Overboard and listened to the two engines in the back hum loudly.

"Ahh my old board. How I missed the old girl." Odd said as he turned to face the direction that the unidentified object was located at.

"All right guys. The object is at the crater, approximately three kilometers from your position. It's just standing there. And I still can't get a glimpse at it." Jeremy said as the three warriors took off in the direction that Jeremy specified. "Aelita says for you guys to be careful."

"Ahh don't worry, we'll be back for dinner in no time. After all, it's shepherds pie tonight." Odd said as he drifted from side to side a little ways above Yumi and Ulrich.

Halfway across the desert, Xervix turned his attention to the direction that the gang was approaching from. He knew that it was a matter of time till they arrived. He slowly made his way towards a Block that was still immobile. His hand started to glow orange and black as a thick oily substance left his palm and dripped slowly onto the block. The block started to shake violently as the symbol on its eyes began to glow. Slowly its body started to crack and shatter, as red streaks and cracks raced around its body. Pieces of the monster started to fall onto the ground.

Xervix walked over to the Kankrelats as he performed the same thing to them as he did the Block.

Their small bodies started to expand and grow rapidly. Their bodies also began to crack and shatter.

Suddenly the block stopped shaking, as its body turned gray. Suddenly an arm broke out of the Block. It was long and slender, and at the end of its hand was a short barrel with a cylinder on its end. The barrel glowed brightly as the rest of the monster's body broke loose from the blocks old body. It stood straight up as it turned to face Xervix. It was human shaped; its face looked like a dull metal hubcap. It had one black eye in the middle of its forehead. The eye looked crystal-like and was slender and dagger like. Its body was slender. It had two hands. One hand had three fingers, while on the other hand was the short blaster that it carried like an arm cannon. Its body was V-Shaped and looked like a jagged stalagmite. Its legs were bent like a chicken's, and its skin was almost rock-like. Yet it looked organic.

Xervix faced the direction that the gang was approaching.

"Now.... FACE ME!!!!!!!!!!!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

Face to Face at Last.

The three warriors sped at amazing speeds to the area where the unknown object virtualized. Odd was leading the trio, with Yumi close behind and Ulrich taking up the rear. Odd noticed a strange object to his left. He turned to see a familiar threat standing off to the left: a tarantula. The creature was just standing still; it didn't even move an inch. Odd looked at it as he wondered why it wasn't moving. Usually the Monsters open fire with out a moment's hesitation. But this thing wasn't even looking at them. It was facing the same direction that the gang came from.

"Hey, Jeremy. The Monsters aren't even moving. What's up with that?"

"Probably because Xana's dead. And since he was the one controlling them, it's more than likely that when he died, they shut down." Jeremy responded in a voice that sounded like it was coming through a radio.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about those guys." Yumi added as she started to catch up with Odd. "Anything new on the object?"

Jeremy flipped screens as he brought up the location of the unknown object's landing sight. To his amazement, The Object was gone. There was nothing there except the desert landscape and some rocks.

"It's gone!!!" Jeremy said.

All three vehicles came to a stop as Odd almost fell off his board. The three youths looked at each other for a few seconds. Finally Ulrich spoke up.

"What do you mean it's gone?? I thought you knew where it was?"

Jeremy typed in several commands as he surveyed the area. There was not a single sign of the object.

It was almost like it vanished off Lyoko. As Jeremy prepared to type in a few commands, Aelita leaned forward and typed in a few more commands.

"What are you doing?" Jeremy squealed in surprise.

"I got an idea." Aelita said as she typed in a new set of commands. Suddenly the screen color changed from black to red. Jeremy stood in awe, as he watched Aelita type in another set of commands that revealed four green dots scattered throughout the area.

"There it is. Right where we left it." Aelita said as she stepped back, allowing Jeremy a chance to see it.

Jeremy stared at the screen and looked back at Aelita. "How did you do that?"

"It's easy. I figured the Object might have a program to hide itself from our scanning program. So I used a data locater. Any place that the Object has been will be revealed as a green line." Aelita said with a smile. Her smile suddenly faded as she realized something terrible about the newest find.

"Wait! There's four. Wasn't there just one?" Aelita asked as she looked at the screen. Jeremy turned to see that Aelita was right. There were now four lines instead of just one. Jeremy did a quick scan but was surprised when the scan brought up nothing.

"Why can't I scan them? I tried twice now and I get the same thing over and over." Jeremy questioned as he cocked his head to one side.

"Maybe it's because the same program they're using to hide from us is also keeping us from scanning them?" Aelita suggested.

Jeremy looked over all the info on the screen. Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi should be within sight of it any time now. He still felt a little nervous about what was going on, but he knew they had to check this out. He didn't want to admit it, but it could lead to a greater threat than Xana ever was.

"Guys. The object is still there, but now there's four instead of one. Be careful. It could be dangerous." Jeremy announced as the gang got back on their vehicles and started to move in the location of the object.

"You don't think its replicating itself do you?" Yumi asked.

"We're not sure. It could be, but then again it couldn't. Just keep an eye out for anything." Aelita said as her voice sounded a little faint and far away from the mic.

The trio started back to the area again. This time, they were moving a little slower and more cautious than before. Ulrich quickly caught up and stayed behind Yumi, keeping an eye out from the area for anything that might attempt to attack them from behind. Yumi noticed Ulrich was behind her and gave a quick nod as she started to close the distance between her and Odd, as he also noticed how fast they where gaining on him.

After a few minutes the gang arrived at the location where the object crashed. Ulrich slowly stepped off his bike and slowly and quietly drew one of his katanas. Yumi pulled up next to him and slowly dismounted as well. She walked up beside him and looked down in the canyon below. There was no sign of any object. But there was one thing she saw. She pointed out to Ulrich the strange thing that was happening in the canyon below, who also pointed it out to Odd.

"Think we outta go down for a look?" Yumi asked.

"Maybe one at a time, so that way the others can give the one person who goes down there some cover. Just in case something happens." Ulrich suggested.

"Well seeing as how me and Yumi can attack from a distance, maybe you should give it a try." Odd said as he cocked his arm cannon in place. There was a quick snapping noise as he pulled his hand over his arm.

"Okay. I'll go first, you guys cover me." Ulrich commanded as Odd and Yumi nodded in agreement.

The Yellow samurai jumped off the cliff with a silent leap. Yumi watched as he descended rapidly. She watched as he landed safely on the ground. Even though she and Odd were covering him, and even though he could defend himself, Yumi was still worried about him. With the recent turn of events with his family, and now this object invading the supercomputer and Lyoko. How could he deal with all this stress at once? She knew that Ulrich couldn't handle the stress as easily as the others, and with his parents' marriage in jeopardy, Ulrich would have enough problems to deal with. And like his father, Ulrich would try to face these issues alone, without help. Yumi couldn't let that happen. She knew that he would need someone to help him get through all of this, someone at his side. She thought in the back of her mind that no matter what, she would be there for him. She had to.

Ulrich landed on the ground in a kneeling position. He had learned through several jumps off the terrain in Lyoko that kneeling when you hit the ground can't limit the amount of damage you could take. He slowly looked around while he squatted. His eyes moved from side to side, looking for any sign of movement. After a few seconds, he slowly stood up and walked towards the strange area Yumi noticed.

After a while he looked at the strange sight before his eyes. He knew Lyoko was wired, but this was even weirder.

The ground had been smashed into a crater. The ground was attempting to repair itself like the ground usually did when it was damaged. But it was unable to. The ground looked like broken glass with streaks of green running through it at times. In the center of the crater was a large red spot; obviously where the object initially crashed.

Ulrich turned around and motioned for Yumi and Odd, who jumped off the cliff at the same time. Ulrich turned his attention to the surrounding area. He kept his mind focused on one simple fact. What ever caused this crater was still around here somewhere. It could appear at any given moment. Slowly he put his hand on one of his katanas and unsheathed it just a little.

Odd whistled at the sight of the crater. He was impressed with it. It reminded him of a scene off Dr. Shrank.

"Kinda looks like something landed here. But what?" Yumi said as she felt the ground near one of the cracks. "I don't think I ever saw anything like this before." She added as she stood back up.

"Tell me what it looks like." Jeremy said as the voice startled Ulrich a little.

As Odd started to describe it, Yumi suddenly heard a strange noise behind her. She turned around in time to see... nothing. There was only a pile of rocks. She slowly pulled out one of her fans as she walked towards the rocks. She didn't hear the noise again but she kept walking just to be safe. She walked over to the rock and looked behind it. Nothing. It was completely bare.

"It's possible that when this object crashed it might have damaged part of the sector's program for repairing the terrain." Jeremy suggested. "Aelita wants to know if there's anything else that you can see?"

Odd looked around the area. He scanned the sky and the ground and saw nothing at all.

"Nothing on our end. What about your end?"

Back in the lab Jeremy continued to type an almost endless number of programs. He monitored the entire area for any signs of movement, or a monster on its way. The mapping system was a unique piece of equipment. Whenever there was movement in an area, the map would mark it as a possible threat and show what it was and where it was coming from.

Suddenly the screen beeped as a pair of green dots moved to their left, behind a cluster of rocks. Aelita pointed out the object to Jeremy. Jeremy hit a few more keys and the objects came into few. They where standing in a cluster of rocks, directly to the left of the others. The map didn't detect them because one of the creatures moved, causing the other to move as well. Jeremy quickly typed in a few more commands and two more objects appeared. These were slightly behind the cliff and walking towards the edge of it. And another actually appeared to be standing right behind Ulrich.

"Guys we got trouble. There's four objects near your position. Two by the cluster of rocks. Another pair by the cliff. And one appears to be standing next to Ulrich." Jeremy shouted out of alarm.

Odd and Yumi ran back toward Ulrich and the trio made a circle around each other.

"I knew there was something by those rocks. I was waiting for Odd to finish describing the crater to Jeremy, and I was going to suggest we check them out as well." Yumi said.

Odd held out his right hand as he pointed it around, looking for a target. Ulrich drew both of his Katanas as he readied himself for a possible fight. Yumi drew both of her fans as she looked around in the sky and on the ground.

Jeremy and Aelita watched as two of the objects began to make their way to the edge of the cliff. The other two started to come out from behind the rock cluster. But the other one was still in the same area it was when they discovered it was standing next to Odd.

"Get ready. You should see one of them any minute." Jeremy said.

"Jeremy... maybe I should go to Lyoko." Aelita suggested.

"Wait, just hang on."

On Lyoko, Yumi spotted the creature as it came into view from behind the rocks. It turned and stared at her as another one walked slowly out of the rocks as well.

"What the hell are those???" Yumi said in a shocked tone.

Odd and Ulrich turned to face the very same creature as it stared back at them.

"What is it?" Jeremy said through the intercom.

"It looks like a monster. Almost like some one took a Block and made it human shaped." Ulrich said. "Here. I'll send you a video pic."

A screen came on the monitor, revealing two crimson red, human shaped monsters. Aelita gasped as she noticed that they did look eerily similar to a Block. It was almost the size of an average person. And had a strange object on its left hand.

"What do we do Jeremy?" Odd asked.

"Well they haven't attacked yet. But there should be one near where Ulrich was." Jeremy said.

Aelita grabbed Jeremy's shoulder as the object that was near Ulrich's former location began to move. It positioned itself in the middle of the others' circle.

"Jeremy it moved. Get them out!!" Aelita pleaded.

"Guys! One of the creatures moved into the middle of your circle. Get away from there!" Jeremy shouted.

Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich turned to the center to see... nothing. There was nothing there.

"Jeremy, Aelita. We don't see anything." Ulrich said.

"Maybe they're invisible?" Yumi suggested.

"No… it's there, right there!!" Jeremy said.

"You don't get it. We're looking at the center and there's nothing here." Odd said.

Jeremy looked at the screen as he stared at the Object. That's when it hit him. He typed in several commands as the map flipped to a vertical display.

"The Object, it's... ...it's in the air." Jeremy whispered as Aelita put her hands over her mouth.

On the map the object began to descend rapidly. Aelita screamed at the top of her lungs for the others to look out.

Ulrich heard Aelita scream as he looked up in time to see something crash in the middle of the circle.

The impact knocked Odd and Yumi forward a little. Ulrich turned in time to see a face come out of the smoke. The thing was at least seven feet tall. That's when he saw it. The eyes. It was Xana's Eyes.

Ulrich's eyes got big as he stared at the creature's head. It was distinctively wolf like, and almost alien.

The beast growled as the smoke slowly cleared out of the area. Yumi got up. She stood on weak legs as she panned back and forth looking for Ulrich. She finally noticed a large creature, with black and green armor. Her eyes widened as she finally saw Ulrich. He was facing it with a look of both terror and confusion on his face.

"So... did you miss me?" The monster said in a low growling voice. "I know you two can see me. And I know you can hear me."

Ulrich suddenly realized. It wasn't just him this creature was looking at. It was Jeremy and Aelita. The video feed was still on. It was using Ulrich like a radio. That's why he was still standing in front of it.

Back in the lab Aelita stared at the creatures face. She started to shake in fear as she realized that it was the same eyes and voice from her dreams. Jeremy turned and noticed she was shaking badly and was holding her head. Aelita closed her eyes in fear. _This had to be a dream. It had to be. She would wake up._

"I WILL FIND YOU AND EXTRACT MY REVENGE!!!!!" The creature shouted as Aelita suddenly screamed in fear from the very words that had haunted her for weeks.

Jeremy jumped out of the chair and walked over to her. "Aelita it's okay. It's okay."

"NO ITS NOT!!!! It's happening. My dream, it's happening."

Ulrich heard enough. He pulled up his swords and took a battle pose as he gave the creature a cold look. "I don't know who or what you are but no one threatens my friend like that."

"I... I am monument to your fears. I am your new God. I am your foe." the beast said as a sudden flash appeared in his hand. A large twisted scythe appeared. He slowly brought it down to Ulrich's face. It came so close that he could see his own face in the reflection.

"I AM XERVIX!!!!!!!" The monster screamed as he swung his scythe towards Ulrich's face. Ulrich blocked it and jumped backward. Xervix grasped the very end of his scythe and shoved it at Ulrich. Ulrich jumped in time to land on the scythe. He ran on the scythe towards Xervix, only to see a black light appear in Xervix's other hand. He pulled it up and fired a black beam at Ulrich. The beam hit Ulrich in the shoulder as it knocked him to the ground. Ulrich felt his virtual form tingle as he heard electrical shocks come from it. Ulrich had dropped one of his swords as he looked up in time to see Xervix bringing the scythe down for a blow.

Before Ulrich could close his eyes, he noticed a purple flash slide by him. It was Odd. "Laser Arrow" he shouted as three yellow arrows left his arm. He stuck Xervix in the arm, causing him to knock his scythe out of his hands. Ulrich felt himself slide the other way as he felt himself lifted in the air. He turned in time to see Yumi. Her head was glowing white as she set him down on the ground. Ulrich ran over and used his toe to flip the other sword into the air and catch it. Odd jumped out of the way of another beam from Xervix as he landed on his hands and pulled off a cart wheel. As he turned he fired another three shots at Xervix. The shots missed as Xervix used his energy beam as a shield to block the blast.

Odd stood up and aimed at Xervix. Xervix turned to see Yumi and Ulrich ready to fight.

"Rule one of revenge. Bring back up." Xervix spoke as he held his hand in the air.

"Sentries, attack!!!" He yelled as crimson laser shots started to fly though the air. Odd turned to see two of the sentries taking aim at him. The crimson red creature raised its right hand and fired three shots at Odd. Odd side stepped from the shots and fired five shots at the sentry. He hit it but it showed no sign of damage.

Yumi threw one of her fans at Xervix. The fan glowed and screamed as it closed in on its target. Xervix brought up his scythe and blocked the fan. The fan hit the scythe's staff and ricocheted back to Yumi. Xervix began to stomp his way towards the pair as he raised his hands again and fired another shot at the pair. The black beam came sailing towards Yumi's head. She closed her eyes and raised one of her fans. The beam hit the fan so hard that it shattered into pieces and knocked Yumi to the ground. Ulrich turned to see if Yumi was okay. No sooner that he did than he heard Xervix scream loudly as he swung the back end of his scythe at Ulrich. The end piece struck Ulrich in the gut as he keeled forward. Xervix then brought his fist up and slammed into Ulrich's back. The blow caused Ulrich to slam to the ground with a tremendous force. Xervix placed his foot on Ulrich's back and held him in place, He slowly brought the scythe done close to his neck as Ulrich grunted and squirmed a little.

"I remember from my earlier version how much trouble you gave me. It feels so satisfying to get my hands on your ridiculous neck." Xervix growled as he prepared to slice through Ulrich's head.

Suddenly a fan hit Xervix in his chest as he reeled backwards. Ulrich took advantage and side kicked the virtual warrior. The impact caused Xervix to lose his Scythe. Xervix stumbled to gain his balance. He looked up in time to see both Ulrich and Yumi flying towards him. They jumped and kicked him at the same time in the chest. The force caused Xervix to fall over and land on his back. Ulrich quickly grabbed his katana and walked over to the creature. He placed the blade at his neck and stood over Xervix and raised the blade over his face.

"And you'll die trying like Xana." Ulrich said.

Suddenly a laser blast struck Yumi from behind. Ulrich turned in time to see a pair of Kankrelats on the hill above them. The monsters fired another volley at Ulrich. He managed to block most of the shots but caught one in his leg.

"Ulrich be careful. You're down to 40 life points." Jeremy announced

Xervix grabbed Ulrich's foot and threw him into a rock. Ulrich bounced off the rock hard and felt his whole body tremble with pain.

"It seems some of my earlier version's monsters seem to work perfectly. Here's another blast from your past." Xervix yelled.

Behind Ulrich an orange gel like substance began to form. The gel quickly moved toward Ulrich in a fast pace. Before long it was right behind him. Ulrich stood up from the point of impact. He was shaking, a clear sign he was about to be devirtualized. He gritted his teeth and faced Xervix, only to find the beast smiling at him.

Yumi finished off the Kankrelats in time to see the Guardian emerge behind Ulrich.

"ULRICH!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed.

Ulrich looked toward Yumi in time for the Guardian to grab him. It covered his head first as he attempted to struggle free. Slowly it worked its way down his torso and around his feet. It took the monster only a few seconds to engulf him. Ulrich felt the world around him slip away as he closed his eyes. He tried to fight it but he couldn't. In time he was out cold.

Yumi grabbed one of Ulrich's swords in one hand and held her fan in the other. She flung her fan at Xervix who grabbed it in midair. He threw it back at her. The fan hit her causing her to fall backwards in pain. She stood up in time to see a second orange blob yank her off her feet. She grabbed the sword and tried to whack away at it. But instead the guardian curled her up like a ball. She felt her knees hit her face as she realized she was completely consumed. She remembered the feeling. Like being up some ones nose. Or lying in a pool of oil. She tried to struggle free until she too felt herself fall asleep.

In the lab, Jeremy and Aelita watched in horror as Ulrich and Yumi were absorbed by the Guardians.

Aelita was no longer shaking. She had a serious and angered look on her face. Her fists were closed and were white from the pressure she was putting on them. She knew that there was no time for her childish fear. She made her decision.

Jeremy's faced almost mimicked her. He squinted his eyes in anger as Yumi stopped moving.

"Aelita... I know you don't want to but..."

Aelita interrupted him with a strong and firm voice. "Send me."

"Are you sure?" Jeremy asked.

"It's time I faced both my fear and my father's killer. My father died in vain to kill Xana. And I won't let his sacrifice be for nothing. Now send me."

Jeremy turned around and entered a serious of codes into the terminal. On one of the screens, a scanner door opened up.

Aelita started to run to the elevator when suddenly she heard Jeremy call her name. Jeremy got out of his chair and ran over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Aelita.... Please be careful. Please come back to me."

"I will Jeremy. And I won't let my dreams come true."

Aelita ran to the elevator and made her way down to the scanner room. She stared at the scanner and growled in frustration. She had to help her friends. She had to.

Odd was having a hell of a time with the sentries. Every time he shot one, the other would fire back in retaliation. He had to reload arrows four times now, at 100 apiece. He didn't have time to see how Ulrich and Yumi were doing with Xervix. He just knew they were fighting harder than him.

"Odd. Aelita's on her way. Hang in there." Jeremy said.

"How's Ulrich and Yumi?" Odd asked.

"They've been captured by a pair of Guardians. Be careful." Jeremy replied.

Odd suddenly ducked down behind a rock. He slowly peeked over the rock and saw that Xervix was just watching the Sentries fire randomly at the rock that Odd was behind. He wasn't attempting to attack Odd, or summon a Guardian to attempt to capture him, nor was he attempting to attack Odd. He just stared at the battle scene, like he was waiting for something... or someone.

"Jeremy, wait.... Don't send Aelita. It's a trap to get her out here. If she comes to Lyoko, Xervix might try to attack her." Odd yelled as several more laser shots flew over his head.

Jeremy heard Odd through his ear piece. He looked at the scanner room screen as he noticed that Aelita had paused in front of the scanner. She turned to face the camera that overlooked the scanner room. She looked into it and nodded her head as she turned and stepped into the scanner.

"We know Odd. But at this point we have no other choice. There's no one else." Jeremy murmured as he watched Aelita visualized on Lyoko. "Please... God... help her."

Odd fired another shot at the sentry. The arrow hit the monster square in the head. The monster stood there for a minute and finally fell over and exploded into pieces. Odd jumped for joy as he saw it explode.

"YEAH!!!! One down. _Super Mario_ couldn't do any better." Odd said as he quoted his favorite video game. However the other two quickly took its place as they opened fire as well. Odd ducked behind a rock as the lasers bathed the rock wall.

"CHEATERS!!!!!! No one likes a cheater." Odd joked as he stuck his arm out from behind the rock and blindly fired at the Sentries.

Xervix took a look over at Odd. He decided that the Sentries could take care of him and hold him in place. And with the brawlers sleeping soundly, they wouldn't cause him any problems.

Suddenly he felt it. He felt a presence he had not felt for years. He looked toward the left.

"She's here. The Bearer is here" Xervix said as he grinned, a wicked smile on his face. Black raven like wings sprouted from his back as he took to the air. Odd watched as he flew in the direction Aelita was in.

"Jeremy!! Xervix is flying towards Aelita!!" Odd yelled.

Back in the lab Jeremy watched as Xervix made a beeline for Aelita.

"Aelita. He's coming." Jeremy said.

Aelita faced the direction Xervix was approaching. Her hands glowed pink as she waved her hand over the star bracelet on her wrist. White angel wings appeared out of nowhere as she took flight.

"I know Jeremy. And it's time I end this nightmare, once and for all."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here it is at long last. the fighting begins.

1 thing i have noticed with this fan fic is describing the fight scenes.

Code Lyoko had some awsome fight scenes. and trying to describe it was kinda hard to do. not to mention plan out and describe some new flight scenes and make sure thier where just as awsome as the original fight scenes.

After a long time. (Sorry for the long wait) we get to the fighting. i wanted Xervix's arrival to show a sense of fear and terror the group had with a creature they did not know or could not understand. Plus i wanted to set something up for the next 2 chapters.

plus i felt it was high time Aelita quit being the scardy cat she was and stood up to do a little fighting. Yeah she was a scardy cat in the show. but when she wasnt afraid. she was kicking ass.

Now for anyone who reads this. i need you to review this. i need feedback so i know how well of a job im doing and what i need to correct my future chapters.

do it or..... actually i dont have any threatening jokes for this one.

hey its hard to think of some. a lot of planing goes into these things

Code lyoko and the characters designs and traits belong to moonscoop.

Xervix is property of me


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Vengeance from the Past

Xervix flew in a fast towards Aelita. His bat like wings flapped violently as he flew towards his objective. Aelita. Everything he would need to accomplish his goal was in the hands of one small girl. In the back of his mind he thought to himself. Ironic. That someone so tiny, so frail, would hold the fate of the world in her hands. That the planets' very existence relied on her. He gritted his teeth and varnished a toothy evil smile. His metallic skin revealed its cruel shaped teeth as he spotted his target.

Aelita flew towards the battle. Jeremy informed her constantly as to how Odd was holding out. One of her worst fears was happening. It was actually happening. Her friends were being seized one by one. She was in fear of losing them. It was a constant fear of hers from the start. The loss of the only family she had left. She lost her father, and her mother. But she would not lose her friends.

After a few seconds, she saw him. The monster was flying right towards her. She stopped in midair and watched as Xervix slowed down and came to a halt directly in front of her. He looked just like the beast from her dreams. Green and black, with the same Eyes that Xana used. And that voice, its voice sounded evil, pure evil.

Xervix held out his hand as a black beam fired directly from his arm. Aelita dodged just in time for the blast to fly right by her arm. She saw the blast so close that it took up her whole field of vision. She turned to her left and held out her hand. A pink orb appeared in her palm as she stared at the creature.

"Who are you?" Aelita asked.

"Can't you tell?" Xervix said as he pointed at his eyes. "I have been reborn. And I have opened my eyes to the true world."

Aelita fired her energy ball at Xervix. Xervix fell backwards. Aelita thought she scored a hit, only to watch as Xervix rose back up and fired another black beam at Aelita. This one however clipped her wings as she started to fall rapidly. As her wings dissolved, she used what little was left to try and slow her decent. She landed in a crouch position but landed so hard that it took away some of her life points. As she slowly stood up she saw Xervix flying directly at her. The beast flew up to her and grabbed her face. Still flying, Xervix dragged her on the ground. She slowly lost more and more life points. Aelita managed to raise her hand and fire a shot at Xervix. The shot hit his wing causing it to dissolve, sending the beast to the ground. Aelita managed to free herself from Xervix's grasp and slowly skid to a halt on the ground. Xervix hit the ground so hard that he bounced off the ground and skidded to a halt.

Aelita slowly got up. She felt dizzy and light headed, a sign that she was close to devirtualization. She slowly walked over to Xervix. He wasn't moving. She held out her hand and prepared another energy field blast.

"Jeremie? Is it?"

Aelita heard his voice from overhead. All through the fight he had been on the edge of his seat. His fingertips were white from gripping the seat. He was sweating more than he had ever sweated before. He was scared. In the few years he knew her, he had almost lost her several times. He was worried that this time, he might lose her for good.

"I...I don't know. I ran a bio scan on it... it is low on life points but I'm not sure that it's dead." Jeremie replied in a raspy voice.

Aelita slowly approached Xervix. She stopped a few inches from the beast. She kicked Xervix's leg. It didn't move. Suddenly she felt a hard kick in her side. Aelita felt herself flying towards a rock. She hit the rock but felt something soft stop her from hitting it. She turned around slowly to see what had caught her. One of the new monsters, the Sentry, held her tightly. She struggled to free herself, but she couldn't. Her virtual form was extremely weak. She couldn't get free. Aelita looked up in time to see Xervix walking toward her. A cruel smile filled his face. He slowly walked toward Aelita and stopped a few inches from her. Xervix kneeled down and stared her in the face.

His eyes burned bright red as the Xana symbols peered into her small green eyes. He growled and twisted his jaw as he looked at her. Suddenly he stood straight up and looked into the sky.

"If you try to save her, I'll dump the boy and girl into the Digital Sea." Xervix yelled knowing that Jeremy was listening.

Back in the lab Jeremie was about to bring Aelita back when Xervix spoke to him. He was about to hit the key that would bring her back when the very words forced him to stop dead in his tracks. He slowly backed out of the whole program.

"At last we meet. Face to face. Eye to eye. I have waited years for this moment. To look into those innocent, green eyes of yours. And that small childish face. And when I was reborn, I wanted so badly to exact revenge on you. But now I can't, I can't let any harm come to you or that worthless speck of human trash you call your friend." Xervix said as he looked her in the eye.

"You never answered my question. Who are you?" Aelita said in a demanding voice.

Xervix stared at her briefly as he crossed his arms behind his back. He slowly turned and faced the opposite direction.

"Are you listening? Jeremy Belpois?" Xervix yelled as his voice echoed through the area.

"I'm listening." Jeremy said in a firm voice over the intercom into Lyoko.

"Good. Seven months. It's been seven months since I was removed from this world; I was a fractured and incompetent program back then. I was a failed organism. But now I have returned to this world as a god. A complete program that will use this world and the secrets it holds to my advantage."

Aelita suddenly stood straight up while the Sentry still had a hold of her. Her eyes got big and her lip trembled as she uttered the words she never wanted to say again.

"Xana!!! You're Xana?" Aelita said. Jeremy couldn't believe what he heard. He couldn't understand. His multi agent program should have worked. It did work. Then why was Xana still here?

"No, I'm not Xana. Xana was an outdated program. It was a worthless piece of data." Xervix said as he looked at his hand, closing his fist and opening it. "I mean, come on!! Who would send a giant teddy bear or a mountain of food after someone?" Xervix joked as he turned to face Aelita. "I am Xervix."

"What do you want? Revenge?"

"No my dear child. Revenge is a petty human emotion. A flaw in your own physical minds. I want what is right. What is true, and pure." Xervix said.

"And that is?" Jeremy said.

"Humanity is a species that continues to drive themselves towards extinction. I mean, look at you. Terrorism, famine, war. All humanity ever does is continually push their fellow humans to death. You continually destroy your environment and drain your planet of life. And for what? So you can go and create a perfect world? No! You are a sick minded species. All through history there are signs of your immaturity. You creatures are nothing more but parasites. You're embarrassments to nature."

Xervix turned around and stared right into Aelita's eyes. As if he was starring into her soul.

" Your species deserves a painful death. And I will deliver it to them, like an angel delivering Judgment on the damned. I will fix humanity by replacing you with a new species. An artificial species. Not programs, but a whole new type of human. Created and controlled by me."

"I believe you just quoted every super villain in movie history." Aelita smirked.

Xervix turned around fast and threw out his scythe. The blade hit the ground next to Aelita's feet, causing her to squeak in fear.

"Look at you. Your friends are all captured. You're all alone. And what's more is that your precious father isn't here to save you. Funny. It seems that you are a cursed being." Xervix said.

Aelita slowly raised her head. She was staring at the scythe when Xervix started to talk to her.

"Your mother disappeared. Your father died protecting you. And now two of your friends have been captured and are awaiting my judgment. Your cat friend is held down by my new monsters, and soon your whole world will be mine for the taking. And once again, you will be all alone in the world."

Aelita started to shake. She realized that Xervix was right. He was completely right. She was a cursed being.

Xervix walked over and slowly grabbed Aelita by the waist. He slowly began to lift her in the air as she shook more and more. Her eyes showed her emotion. She was afraid.

"Ahh. Is that fear I sense in you child? Hmm yes. I can sense it filling your entire body."

Aelita grunted as she started to struggle more and more to free herself from Xervix's grasp.

"It isn't me you're afraid of. It's the truth of which I speak. Yes. Let your fear grow. Let it consume your soul. Let it fill your heart. Feel it. Yes feel it. Feel the fear. The Fear is the truth. Feel the fear, FEEL THE TRUTH!!!!" Xervix said.

Aelita closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs. She had let Xervix get to her. She was afraid.

Back in the lab Jeremy called Aelita's name. He felt so helpless. He wanted to do something to help.

He realized that it was over. In one hour, this thing had defeated their entire gang. If only I could go. If only I could do something. Jeremy thought as he pounded his fist on the chair's arm rest. His eyes were beginning to water up as he realized that he may lose everyone he held dear. Yumi, Ulrich, Odd... and Aelita.

Suddenly he stood straight up as he remembered. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. Jeremy hoped that it would work.

William tried to work on his homework. He sat at his desk, attempting to work on his math homework.

Math was never one of his best subjects. But it wasn't the homework that was giving him trouble. It was what Yumi said earlier. Was she right? Was he just a risk to everyone around him? He sat up and looked around his room. Ever since he came back from Lyoko, he had tried to make amends with most of his classmates. His grades were actually pretty decent. But was Yumi right? Were his attempts to change only attempts at fooling himself? Maybe she's right. Maybe I am just a huge immature loser. Maybe I am a risk to everyone.

William looked in the mirror. What he saw was a young man who had a second chance in life. Or did he? William saw a mess in disguise. Underneath the clothes and the attempted cool guy attitude, he was a scarred man. He remembered every single thing he did under Xana's control. He remembered all the times he put his friends in pain. The times he ran Aelita to the ground in an attempt to throw her into the Digital Sea . He even remembered the time Yumi tried to reason with him. The pain and sorrow she had on her face. And when he returned, what happened? Yumi left him, he was almost expelled, and what was that the gang had abandoned him, It seemed that no matter how many times he apologiezed, they still wanted nothing to with him.

William stared at the mirror for a minute. Suddenly for a brief second he saw a strange sight in the mirror. It was him. He was wearing a jet black and brown version of his Lyoko form. He had a Xana Symbol on his chest and wielded a twisted version of his sword. He looked at William and stared back at him. William closed his fists in anger as he looked at the mirror.

Suddenly, every single thing he did while under Xana's control came back into his mind. He remembered.

"I'm not you! I'm not! I'M NOT!!!!!!!!" William yelled as he grabbed a book and threw it at the mirror. The mirror shattered into several pieces. William looked down at the shattered pieces of his mirror. He could make out his reflection in the pieces of glass. He sat on his bed and put his head between his legs. Yumi was right. She was completely right.

William's iPhone rang from across the room. William slowly walked over and answered it. He was amazed by what he heard.

"William? William it's me!" Jeremy said in a distressful voice.

"Jeremy? Jeremy what's wrong? Are you OK?" William ask, concerned for his friend.

"I know you don't want to hear this, and I know about what Yumi said, but we need you to come to the factory." Jeremy said.

William suddenly sat up straight. He felt a sharp adrenaline surge through his body. "Why? Why should I?"

Jeremy took in a deep breath as he prepared to say the words he knew that William would not want to hear.

"We turned on the Supercomputer. And now something has attacked us and has captured the others. I know how you feel about the Supercomputer but..."

"You turned it back on? You turned on the supercomputer?" William interrupted. "Why would you even think of turning it on?"

Jeremy took a breath. He knew that William would be angry about the news of the supercomputer reactivating. He tried to place his words properly. "We just wanted to check it out. There's been all the news on the super virus and we thought it might have been Xana. But now it looks like it something else. William... we need your help."

William tightened his grip on the phone. He had never been so angry in his life. He slowly remembered all the acts and deeds he performed under Xana. He didn't wanna risk becoming a pawn again.

"Jeremy I can't... I'm sorry I just can't. I still remember all the horrible acts I did. And I don't think your friends care for me that much." William murmured.

"But I still like you. And so does Aelita. Please Will."

William slowly lowered the phone and shut it off. "I'm sorry Jeremy, I can't help. I'm no good to anybody."

William looked at the mirror that lay broken on the ground. He stared at it for a while and slowly remembered the day Aelita and Jeremy sat down and talked to him

A few weeks after being freed from the clutches of Xana, William was sitting in the cafeteria. He was still down about the ordeal when he noticed Jeremy and Aelita walking toward him. Jeremy was looking at him while Aelita had her head down. William started to get up when Jeremy asked him to sit down.

"Please Will. We need to talk is all." Jeremy said.

"I… I don't think." William said.

"Please Will. We need to talk to you, it's important." Aelita said.

William sat down as Jeremy and Aelita sat down at the table across. Aelita looked at William as Jeremy sat forward, obviously deciding what words he should say.

"You want to start Aelita?." Jeremy encouraged.

"Well I have noticed that since you came back, things have been a little rough for you. And when ever we meet, you apologize for what happened. I don't blame you for what happened to my father, if anything. Me and Jeremy should be sorry for taking you to Lyoko so early and at such a hard time." Aelita said. She slowly looked William in the eye, wondering what William's answer would be.

"Actually, I need to speak with both of you." Jeremy said. "The two of you have been kind of down and out for the past month. I talked to Aelita about it and now I should talk to you."

"Me? Why me?" William asked.

"Because ever since we shut down the supercomputer, you have literally given up on almost everything you cared about. I know that Yumi and Ulrich dating must have something to do with it but you need to move on. Sure, what Xana did to you was a horrible thing, but that doesn't mean you need to punish yourself for it. You both need to forget about the past and move on. Learn from it, and look toward the future." Jeremy said as he glanced back and forth between William and Aelita.

William thought about it for a second. "He's right. He is completely right." William thought.

"I think you're right. Maybe I shouldn't let the past weigh me down anymore." William said. "Thanks guys."

Jeremy smiled as Aelita grinned just a little. "So anyways… we both thought one way to help you forget the past is to hang out with you more than we have. We haven't really spoken since you came back and all and we were wondering if you would like to hang out with us sometime." Aelita said.

William looked at them for a second and nodded. As the two of them got up to leave they called out to him from across the room.

"See you later buddy!!" Aelita said as they waved and walked out.

________________________________________________________________________

William starred at the shatterd glass as he rememberd how they had actually openly apologized to him.

"What am I doing" William said as he reached for the door knob.

Xervix slowly walked over to the now frightened Aelita. She was still trying to break free of the sentry, huffing and moaning the whole time. But the Sentry's grip was strong and firm. She stopped struggling as Xervix walked toward her.

"Struggle all you like child. You're not going anywhere." Xervix said.

"What do you want with me?" Aelita asked.

Xervix raised his hand in the air and slowly lowered it. "You are special girl Aelita Schaeffer. You have a special gift to the world that your parents were afraid of."

"What do you mean?"

"Lyoko was made to hide the secret of Carthage . But what did you think Carthage was?" Xervix asked.

" Carthage was a Military program that the government created to disrupt communications." Aelita said.

"Wrong on many parts" Xervix said as he looked at a puzzled Aelita. Aelita tipped her head to her left as she wondered what he meant. " Carthage is not a Program. It is a Supercomputer."

Aelita stared at Xervix as he walked back and forth.

"No. Franz Hopper's Diary said that Carthage was designed to block Military communications." Jeremy said.

"Yes it was created for that purpose. But it was also designed to hide an important secret." Xervix said staring up at the sky.

"And that is?" Aelita said.

"Your family legacy." Xervix said. He slowly picked up a small rock. "Your father found a very…promising item. He built Lyoko and Carthage to hide it. To hide its location from the world... and you."

Aelita looked At Xervix. "Why me?"

Suddenly there was a loud squirming screech from behind her. Aelita struggled to see what was behind her, but couldn't see it. She realized what that sound was. It was the sound of one of the most frightful things she ever knew. The Scyphozoa!!! If there were words that could describe it, they would be Fear, Violation, Abduction, Sorrow.

"It is your birthright. It is what you were born with. And you are the only one who can use it. But that can be fixed." Xervix said.

The Sentry held Aelita up high as the Scyphozoa slowly drifted into view. It slowly raised its tentacles and prepared to wrap its tentacles around her. Aelita squirmed as she tried to free herself. But it was no use.

Back in the lab Jeremy watched as the Scyphozoa prepared to attack Aelita. He watched as a new object came to view on the screen. It was approaching extremely fast. "lease get there on time!!" Jeremy prayed. He watched as the purple object closed in. He turned his attention to the monitor next to him as he prepared the scanner.

"This will only hurt for a moment. I need a copy of your DNA in order to find the maps." Xervix said.

"What maps?" Aelita whimpered.

"In every sector is a piece of a map. The sectors in Lyoko, when put together, will reveal the Location of Carthage. The maps on Carthage when put together with the maps of Lyoko will reveal its location. And then, you and your friends will be of no use to me." Xervix said.

Aelita began to cry for help as she tried to break free from the sentry. If there was ever one thing that Aelita was afraid of more than Xana, it was the nightmarish monster that drifted before her. She cried for someone to save her. But Xervix snapped her back to reality.

"If your friend in the real world tries to save you, it's deletion for the Boy and Girl!!!"

The Scyphozoa began to wrap its tentacles around Aelita. Suddenly three lasers hit it in its bulb shaped head. It dropped Aelita as Xervix turned to face the attacker. Odd!

"You didn't think a few new bad guys could hold Purple Lightning did you?" Odd joked, as he fired another shot at the Sentry. The laser hit it in the head, causing it to explode. Xervix stared at the cat man and growled angrily.

"Such heroic nonsense." Xervix yelled as he flew toward Odd. Odd fired several Laser Arrows at Xervix. Xervix held out his right hand and emitted a black glow. The shots where deflected in different directions as Xervix pulled out his scythe. He rammed Odd with the scythes blade, and threw him to the ground.

"Aelita, run!!!!" Odd said as he disappeared into an assortment of pixels.

Aelita turned to run as she ran straight into the arms of the Scyphozoa.

Xervix walked over to his scythe and pulled it out of the ground as he turned his attention to Aelita.

"No One will save you now." Xervix screeched as the Scyphozoa began to drain Aelita. Her DNA.

The Scyphozoa poked her with its three tentacles. Aelita felt cold. She felt exposed. She felt no pain. She felt alone, and scared. When the Scyphozoa attacked someone, there was no pain. Only fear, depression, and sorrow.

Aelita's vision blurred as everything went dark. She could feel something in the back of her head. It felt like she was being sucked though a straw. She felt like every horrible thing that could happen, had happened. She was cold, and alone. No one was coming to save her. She wanted to call for help, she wanted to call for Jeremy but couldn't. She couldn't do anything.

Suddenly a large sharp object hit the Scyphozoa in its head. The creature screamed another blood curtailing scream as it released Aelita. Xervix turned in the direction the attack came from and saw a plume of white smoke flying towards him. The smoke lifted off the ground and formed a figure. A fist hit Xervix in the face as he fell over. Xervix scrambled to his feet in time to see the Scyphozoa explode from another attack. Xervix roared as he turned to face the attacker. There standing in front of Aelita was a familiar face. He held out his newly reacquired sword as he pointed it at Xervix.

"No one hurts my friends and gets away with it." William said.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15.

Heroes Redemption

Xervix stood up straight and stared at William. Behind him he saw Aelita was still out cold. Xervix's eyes glowed bright red with anger as he turned his attention to William. His predecessor's apprentice, his tool, now stood between him and his goal. William was once Xana's proudest instrument. Time and time again it would send William into battle against the gang. The only time William was defeated was when he was outnumbered. William was really the strongest of the whole group. He wasn't the most agile, or knew any kind of martial arts. But what he lacked in skill, he made up for in power. When William hit someone, he hit like a train. He was a powerhouse on Lyoko, and now it appeared that he was against him.

"I was wondering whose side you would choose. I guess now my questions been answered." Xervix said as he folded his arms.

William held his sword close to him, ready to fight, ready to extract his revenge on the creature that ruined his life. It caught him when his guard was down. And for several months, he was its puppet, just a small worthless puppet. And when he came back to earth, Yumi left him, and his parents were angered by his somewhat recent attitude. He felt some what guilty for what happened to Aelita. And for a few months, he himself fell into a deep depression. And now he was prepared to take his revenge on the creature that ruined his life.

"You know, William. I can forgive your recent blasphemy, and offer you a chance." Xervix said as he stared down at William. "There's still a good chance for you to come out of this unscathed and successful."

William slowly lowered his sword as he thought about what Xervix just said. "What do you mean?"

Xervix slowly started to walk around William in a circle. He constantly kept his eyes locked on William.

"I kept you for months. In the time I had you I learned everything about you. You are in love with that Yumi girl; keep her. You want to make your parents proud of you; they will be. You want to try and fix the world of its dangerous future; by joining me you will. All I ask is that you rejoin me once again."

"My parents are proud of me!!!" William shouted as he turned to face Xervix.

"Are they? Are they truly proud of you? They constantly look for you to succeed in great things. Wonderful things. But instead, you constantly let them down. As you do with all the other people you know and care for. You always let them down."

"That's not true Xervix. William came to help us, he didn't let us down." Jeremy said.

"Yes that's true. But for how long will it take before he lets you down again?" Xervix said. "He did once, he'll do it again. After all, history always repeats itself."

William slowly lowered his sword and stabbed it into the ground. He stared at the ground as he thought about what Xervix was saying.

"I can give it all to you William. Yumi, your pride… and I'll give you more. All you have to do is serve me."

William slowly looked behind him as he Aelita slowly started to regain consciousness. He thought about how it would feel to date Yumi again, to regain her respect. And to finally please his parent who had for so long wanted something to be proud of William for.

"Jeremy... I'm sorry." William murmured as he stepped away from his sword.

"William! No, don't!!!" Jeremy said back in the lab as the elevator door revealed a tired and worn out Odd. "Please William, don't listen to him"

"A wise choice my friend." Xervix said as he slowly made his way towards Aelita, "A wise choice indeed."

Aelita shook her head as she looked up in time to see Xervix standing over her. She tried to get up, but she was too weak and light headed to run. This usually happened after the Scyphozoa released her. She moaned a little as Xervix reached down and grabbed her by the neck. He slowly raised her up to her face and gazed into her eyes. She winced in fear as she tried to bring up her hand to fire an energy field. Xervix grabbed her wrist and squeezed, forcing Aelita to loose the power to fire her shot.

In the lab, Jeremy gasped in fear as he watched Xervix grab Aelita. Tears of fear formed in his eyes as he watched his best friend, once again in the hands of a monster. Odd sat in the corner, exhausted and tired. He listened as anger and sorrow raced through his body for his friends. He was powerless to do anything. Yumi and Ulrich were still in the hands of the Guardians. And Aelita was too weak to do anything. And now William had betrayed them again.

"Jeremy." William said. "I'm sorry for what I did. I hope you can forgive me. For what I'm about to do!!!!!!" William yelled as he grabbed his sword and swiped at Xervix. The blade scratched Xervix in the back as he screamed in pain. Xervix dropped Aelita as she hit the ground. Xervix turned to face William as he took another swipe at him. Xervix brought up his scythe as he blocked William's large sword.

"You pathetic peon. How dare you strike at me?!" Xervix screamed as he jumped back.

"I wanted so bad to do that to you. After all you did." William yelled as he leaped into the air and raised his sword above his head. He fell next to Xervix and slammed his sword at him. Xervix stepped to the left as the sword barely missed him. Xervix threw his fist at William, catching him in the jaw and launching him several feet. William landed on his back and skidded to a halt as Xervix raised his right hand. A pure black glow resonated from his hand as he prepared to fire.

"Fine then, my old friend. You are my new enemy." Xervix yelled as he fired a black beam at William.

"SUPER SMOKE!!!" William yelled as he vanished into a white mist. The mist flew toward Xervix as Xervix fired several shots at the mist. William rematerialized underneath Xervix and caught him with an uppercut. Xervix stumbled a few inches before William ran up to him and drop kicked him, causing Xervix to fall on his back. Xervix swung his foot around and caught William in the knee, forcing him to drop to his knees. Xervix pulled his feet up and catapulted himself. His feet caught William in the face as Xervix landed on his feet. Xervix brought his foot up and slammed it in William's face. William rolled out of the way before Xervix could slam his foot on his face. William ran towards Xervix and kicked him square in the chest. Xervix bent down as William punched Xervix in his jaw. Xervix growled as William attempted to kick Xervix. Xervix caught William's foot and grabbed his ankle. Xervix stood up and twirled William around like a doll, slamming William to the ground.

"You were always weak, William" Xervix said as he held out his hand, balled into a fist. A black mist appeared as he prepared to fire.

"You always did like to show off too much!" William said as he slammed his fist into Xervix's hand. The black beam fired and hit a nearby rock. William squirmed his way away from Xervix and leaped into the air. He landed behind Xervix as he turned around and grabbed Xervix's chin. He then placed his knees into Xervix's back as he pulled all his weight towards him. Xervix fell on his back and landed on Williams knees. Xervix flopped to the ground as William stood up quickly.

William ran over to his sword and picked it up. He turned to face Xervix, as he struggled to stand up.

"William. I know you want revenge, but you need to get Aelita to a tower so she can recover and free Ulrich and Yumi" Jeremy said from the lab.

"But why worry now, I can finish this guy off." William said as he sliced his sword at Xervix. His sword knocked Xervix's Scythe out of his hand. William brought his sword up and prepared to bring it down. Only this time, Xervix caught the sword before it hit him. Xervix grabbed the sword and tossed William to the side.

"But what if you can't, William? What if you get devirtualized or something? Then this will have all been for nothing." Jeremy pleaded. William thought for a few seconds and ran towards Xervix.

"WILLIAM PLEASE!!" Jeremy yelled.

"Trust me Belpois." William said as he stabbed the ground right in front of Xervix. He then lifted himself in the air while holding onto the swords handle and jumped over Xervix. William landed right behind Xervix and rolled in time to miss a blast from Xervix's dark beam. William ran over and grabbed the still unconscious Aelita. William and Aelita vanished into a cloud of smoke as Xervix stabbed the ground where they once stood at. Xervix threw his scythe to the ground as he roared into the air.

Back in the lab Jeremy and watched in amazement as William and Aelita flew towards the nearest tower. In the corner, Odd was still out cold from the trip back. And on Lyoko, Ulrich and Yumi were captured by two Guardians. And Aelita was low on life points and was phasing in and out of consciousness, so his only hope for now was William, who was running for not just his life, but the lives of his friends as well.

William started to feel a little slower. He felt like he had run quite the distance in a minute. He slowly materialized just a few feet from the tower. He was still holding Aelita, who was still unconscious. He slowly began to jog a little when a sudden laser blast fired next to his feet. He slowly turned to see a group of Sentries standing to his left. They slowly separated as a taller, dark gray creature slowly made its way towards William. It was a few feet taller than the Sentries, and was dark gray. It had a larger cylinder like tube on its left arm, and sported a pair of blades on its right arm. Its head was pointed and very sharp looking. Almost like a blade. The Xana Symbol was located on its shoulder and was glowing red.

"Uh hey, Belpois? There's a kinda... defender looking guy here." Will said as he slowly laid Aelita down.

"You got to get Aelita in the tower. If you two get devirtualized, it's over for Ulrich and Yumi." Jeremy said as he ran a scan of the newer, larger monster.

William looked at Aelita. _Hope this works._ He thought as he held out his hand. A small puff of smoke left his hand and wrapped itself around Aelita. Slowly the smoke raised her into the air and took her into the Tower.

Inside the tower, the walls were blue with several graphics and symbols floating on the wall. The smoke slowly sat Aelita on the ground as she laid there in a dead sleep, her life points slowly recovering.

The "Smoke Float," as William called it, had drained him a little. But after a minute he felt a little better. He raised his sword and slung it over his shoulder.

"Who dies first?" William said with a smile on his face.

"William. That Defender like monster has double the life points as those Sentries. Looks like the weak points in the chest area. Watch out. It's got a sword as well." Jeremy said over the intercom.

"Well. At least one of these monsters has sense to bring a knife to a knife fight." William said.

The Defender made a loud grunting noise as it held out its hand and pointed towards William. The Sentries raised their guns and fired at William. William held his sword out and reflected some of the shots. Unlike Ulrich, he couldn't throw the laser shots back at the monsters like Ulrich could at times. But he could still deflect the laser shots. William materialized into smoke and flew behind the trio of Sentries. He came up behind the group as he sliced through all three of the monsters. The monsters split in half as they fell to the floor and exploded. William turned to face the Defender. It had its gun pointed at him as it glowed green. William rolled to the left as a large green ball left the Defender's gun and hit the very area William was standing at. The ball exploded in a green flash as pieces of the ground spread over the entire area.

William looked at the explosion with a sign of worry on his face. "Oh, great. Not only are they bigger, but now they're louder." Will grunted as he stood up and held his sword next to his face.

The Defender turned and lowered the gun. It raised its right hand, the pair of blades on its right hand flipped outward and around its hand, forming a sword. The Defender took a defensive step and prepared to strike William down. William held his sword behind him as he prepared for the Defender to attack.

The Defender sprinted towards William. It threw its sword in front as it attempted to stab him. William side stepped and brought his sword down towards the Defender's head. The monster quickly jumped back a few feet and ran to the left. William ran to the right as the two ran in a circle of each other. The Defender brought up its gun and fired another shot at William. William jumped out of the way as the green orb exploded right behind him. William landed on his feet and darted towards the defender. The defender pulled its sword to its right as it prepared to jab William in the chest. William jumped over the Defender. As William descended he sliced the defenders back, leaving a white scar on its back. William landed on his knees as the Defender stumbled a little.

"Careful William. He still has a few life points left." Jeremy said as Odd stood behind him watching.

"How many do I have?" William asked. "Uhh not much. Better finish him off." Jeremy replied.

"SHOW THAT FREAKY MONSTER WHO'S IN CHARGE, WILL." Odd cheered in the background.

William held his sword with one hand as the Defender prepared for a second attack. It suddenly raised its gun again and fired a 3rd time. This time the ball exploded next to William. The force knocked William off his feet. William landed on his side. He felt his head bounce off the ground as he landed. William's sword slid a few feet from him as the Defender approached William.

William glanced up in time to see the Defender stab the ground next to him. William moved his head to the left as he ducked in time to see his reflection in the blade of the sword. The Defender then brought its gun up and pointed it at William's head. The gun's barrel glowed green as a green orb appeared in it. William grabbed the barrel of the gun as he attempted to free himself from the monster's grasp. At the last second, William super smoked into the ground as the sentry shot the ground where William last laid. The Defender watched as the smoke trail ran up to its sword and materialized next to it. The Defender raised its gun as it prepared to fire another shot, only to notice that its barrel was burnt and damaged. The Defender grunted in curiosity as it looked back at William.

"Wow. Sucks to be you." William joked.

"William. It's now or never. I lost Xervix on the map. But I still have Yumi and Ulrich, but that doesn't mean they're safe. Hurry up and end it." Jeremy said.

"Got ya, Belpois." William said as he prepared for one final attack. The Defender stood with its back toward the tower. It stood completely still as it contemplated its possibilities. A quiet silence filled the area around the tower. William squinted his eyes in anger as he prepared to strike. The Defender growled a ferociously violent growl as it prepared to attack. The Defender ran towards William as William ran towards him. William sliced at the Defender as The Defender sliced back.

A pink orb hit the Defender, causing it to explode into pieces. William skidded to a stop as he passed through the cloud of what was once a Monster. William looked around as he tried to figure out what happened. He slowly turned to the tower to see a small pink haired girl standing there with a smile on her face.

"I never thought I would see you here on Lyoko, William." Aelita said with her hands on her hips.

"Well you know. I always help my friends out. By the way, that's two you and Jeremy owe me." William said.

Aelita smiled as she led William into the tower to replenish his life points.

William stood towards the entrance as Aelita sat in the middle. She regained consciousness but still didn't replenish her life points all the way. She still had a ways to go. William actually felt more and more alive the longer he stood there.

"So this thing, this Xervix guy. He claims to be a clone of Xana?" William asked.

"That's the story. I heard it myself before I called you. And Aelita realized it when she was talking to it." Jeremy said in the lab.

"It was like talking to a demon. He spoke about wanting to purge the world of its sins and building a kind of new empire on earth." Aelita said.

"I've been going over most of the stuff he downloaded. I have no idea what it is." Jeremy replied.

"I thought you knew the supercomputer down to the last little bolt." Odd said.

"Well it appears that there are some things on the super computer that were locked away in a type of hidden file. The only one who could access the file was the one who had a special access code to that file. So since then, it's been on the Super computer as a type of junk data. It was hidden from us, and Xana. I still don't know what it is. Only Xervix knows and from what he said, whatever the file contained isn't good." Jeremy said.

"I know what it is." Aelita said as she sat on the floor, she slowly curled up her legs so that her knees were touching her chin. "He called it my family legacy. My father built Lyoko to protect it, and to hide it from me. He said the key to finding it is hidden in Lyoko and Carthage . And that I am the key to using it."

"Using what?" William said.

"I don't know. I can't understand what it is that Xervix wants with me." Aelita said as she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her knees. "And now because of it, Yumi and Ulrich are in trouble, and there is another monster out to try and kill us. I didn't want this. I wanted to put my past and Lyoko behind me. I wanted to move on with my life and look to the future, but now it seems I can't even leave my past behind."

Jeremy closed his eyes as he heard the words come out of Aelita's mouth. He started to feel his eyes water up as he realized that she was right. Aelita deserved to start a fresh new life. She deserved to forget Lyoko and move on. But now she was dragged into it again, dragged back into her past.

"Hey come on. We killed Xana once. And we can stop this copy of him as well." Odd said in an attempt to cheer everyone up. "Once you stop one freaked out program, you feel like you can stop another. All we gotta do is zap it the same way we did Xana."

"I don't think another multi agent program would work. It could alter its code in order to avoid it. And even then I don't think I would want to, especially after the last one I made." Jeremy said.

"Well you know, we could sit here and talk about how we can kill this guy. Or we could go out there, get Yumi and Ulrich and Then!! …figure out what we can do about this thing." William said as he walked over to Aelita and held out his hand. Aelita looked up and slowly reached for his hand. William pulled her up and slowly made his way towards the exit. Aelita followed close behind.

As the two left the tower they stepped outside to see that there was no sign of Xervix or his army. "Jeremy do you still have Ulrich and Yumi on the map?" William asked.

"Yeah, they're still at the same place where they were captured. But it looks like Xervix and a couple of Sentries and Defenders are standing guard around the area. It looks like they're guessing that you're gonna try and rescue Ulrich and Yumi. They must have guessed right." Jeremy said as he flipped the map back to William and Aelita's position.

"Have you got an idea on how to free those two?" William asked.

"I can create a copy of Ulrich and Yumi, we did the same thing when Yumi and I were captured by a Guardian." Aelita said.

"What's it like in that thing?" Odd asked.

"Well it was more like a deep sleep. Once it absorbs you, you start to feel extremely drowsy and soon, you're out cold. It's also kinda painful, and you loose a lot of life points once it grabs you. Once someone pulls you out of it, you're completely drained of both your life points and physically drained as well." Aelita explained.

There was a sudden buzzing noise. The over board and the over bike virtualized to their left. William mounted the over bike while Aelita got on the over board.

The two spread off in the direction of Ulrich and Yumi. After a few minutes of riding, the two got off the vehicles and slowly snuck behind a rock. William poked his head out from behind the rock to see Xervix standing in between the pair of Guardians. He was leaning on his scythe with his eyes closed as the Sentries and Defenders stood watch. Off in the distance, there stood three blocks, their heads flipping around in search of their targets. A large Krabe came into view. It stood behind the blocks and faced the opposite direction. The place was crawling with Xervix's monsters.

William noticed that Xervix wasn't moving at all. He looked like he was asleep. "Jeremy. It looks like Xervix is... sleeping. He isn't moving much either." William said.

Jeremy ran a bio scan on Xervix and discovered a startling fact. "He does have a weakness." Jeremy said out loud.

"What is it?" Odd asked.

"He is losing strength. The longer he fights, the more strength he losses. It's a side effect from the hack. Part of him must have been downloaded into the mainframe of the super computer. That explains how he can control the monsters." Jeremy explained.

Aelita slowly poked her head out from behind William's head. She saw that with all the monsters, it would be impossible to try and free Ulrich and Yumi. Slowly she started to devise a plan on how to free her friends.

"Jeremy? Do you think you could materialize the Over-Wing?" Aelita kindly asked.

"Got an idea already? OK what is it?" Jeremy asked.

"Well first virtualize the Over-Wing. Then I'll tell you." Aelita said. There was a loud buzzing noise as the Over-Wing virtualized next to the Over-Bike.

"Now can you tell me?"

"I don't think I should. You'll freak out if I tell you." Aelita said. She slowly leaned over to William as she whispered the plan of attack. Williams face slowly turned from wonder to a sinister smile as Aelita detailed the plan. "Oh I like that idea." William said.

Minutes later, William and Aelita flew from behind the rock riding on the Over-Wing and Over-Bike. William drove past Xervix as he side stepped to avoid getting hit. William pulled out his sword and sliced through two of the Blocks and ran over a Sentry. The remaining Block turned and fired at William, who was able to block the shots with his sword. Aelita flew slowly overhead as Xervix finally located his target. He spread his raven like wings as he took to the air.

"Back for more are we child?" Xervix said as he gave chase to the Over-Wing.

"Aelita, what are you doing? Ulrich and Yumi are in the other direction." Jeremy said in a surprised voice.

Aelita didn't answer. She looked behind her to see that Xervix was in fact in hot pursuit. She accelerated as she fled for her life from the monster.

William quickly came to a stop as he turned to face the two remaining Sentries and the Block, which was firing at him. He revved up the bike and quickly shot towards the Sentries. He quickly jumped off the bike as it slammed into the Sentries. As he landed, he threw his sword at the top of the Krabe, causing it to explode in a loud deafening explosion. He turned in time to see the Defender fire a green orb at him. He quickly materialized into smoke and flew toward his sword. He materialized in time to grab his sword and turn to face the Defender. The Defender prepared another shot as William dodged several shoots from the Block. William remembered how hard it was to fight the Defender by itself. But now it had back up. He was in trouble.

Xervix slowly caught up with Aelita as he held out his hand and prepared to strike. He fired a black ray from his arm. The beam hit the back of the Over-Wing. The hovercraft started to shake and flutter back in forth as the craft began to fall to the ground. The craft suddenly turned transparent as it slowly faded away. Aelita managed to jump off before the Over-Wing devirtualized. She landed one the ground and broke into a sprint. Xervix quickly turned around and flew towards her. Aelita darted back and forth as she tried to loose her pursuer. Xervix quickly flew near her and reached for her head. Aelita squealed as she ducked down in time to see Xervix fly past her. Aelita held out her hand, but before she could, Xervix turned and fired another black beam at her. The beam knocked her off her feet as she fell to the ground. Aelita just laid there as Xervix walked up to her. His victory was so close that he could see it.

"Aelita get up!!! AELITA!!!" Jeremy said as he stood up out of the chair in a panic. Odd gripped the armrest of the chair so hard that the leather was actually starting to tear. "What's wrong with her? Why doesn't she get up???" Odd asked.

"Aelita, please get up. William, help her please!!" Jeremy yelled into the ear piece. William stayed in the same place as he fought the Defender.

"This is where you belong, child. Beneath my feet." Xervix said as he reached down and picked her up. Aelita's face was calm and peaceful. It almost looked like she was sleeping. Xervix stared at her for a second. He reached out to touch her face when suddenly her eyes opened up.

"You say you're nothing like Xana. Well that means we can trick you the same way we did him. Just like this." Aelita said as she suddenly flashed a static like look on her face and fazed out like a burned out light bulb. Xervix suddenly realized he was tricked. "A DECOY!!!" Xervix yelled. He attempted to spread his wings and fly off, but he was too tired from chasing the clone. He then decided to try and sprint to the fight scene. He had to hurry or he would lose this moment.

William jumped back in time to avoid another shot from the Defender's gun. The Defender slowly lowered its cannon once more as it prepared to fire. Suddenly there was a whistle. The Defender turned to see Aelita standing next to Ulrich's Guardian.

"You know, I could shoot it." Aelita said.

Williams sword suddenly burst through the Defender as it exploded. "But I wanted to trash this one." William said. Aelita chuckled a little as she walked over to the Guardians.

"Sorry Jeremy, but I didn't want Xervix to find out about our plan." Aelita said sympathetically.

"Just next time give me a hint. I mean stuff like that's gonna give me an anxiety attack, and I think I'm too young for one of those." Jeremy replied with a slight joke.

"I knew she was faking all along." Odd said.

"But you were literally tearing up the seat. Look at these marks." Jeremy said as he pointed at some scratch marks on the chair.

"You can't prove that was me." Odd said.

"Okay guys, let's free Ulrich and Yumi before Xervix comes back." Jeremy said as he flipped up a few screens so he could view Ulrich and Yumi's health stats.

"So how does this work. Do we just slice at the blob things or what?" William asked.

Aelita bent down on her knees and placed the tips of her fingers together as she suddenly started to sing an almost angelic song. William had never heard anything like it before, it was in his mind, beautiful. Almost like a song from heaven. Suddenly to the left of Ulrich's Guardian, a copy of Ulrich appeared. The Guardian suddenly started to flutter and fluctuate as it threw out Ulrich and attempted to capture the copy. Ulrich laid there on his back, he was unconscious and unresponsive. But all in all, he was alive.

"OK. Destroying the copy." Jeremy said over the intercom.

The Ulrich copy glowed inside as the Guardian suddenly exploded. Aelita ran over to Yumi's Guardian as she started to sing the same song again. William walked over towards Ulrich. Ulrich was starting to sit up slowly. He felt sore from the confinement inside the Guardian. Ulrich opened his eyes in time to see William standing over him. Ulrich panicked. He jumped on his hands and flipped into William. William fell backwards as Ulrich took up a defensive stance.

"Hey, wait a minute you idiot, I'm here to help you." William shouted.

Ulrich suddenly realized that William wasn't in the Xanafied outfit from when he was serving Xana. Ulrich slowly calmed down as he walked over towards William and held out his hand.

"Sorry. Old habits and all." Ulrich explained.

"Well, can't say I don't blame you." William responded as he stood up. William stood up in time to see the second Guardian explode. Ulrich ran over to the area where the Guardian exploded. He walked past Aelita as she was starting to stand up and saw Yumi, lying on the ground. He kneeled down and lifted her head up. He took his hand and slowly stroked her face.

"Wake up there sleeping beauty." Ulrich said. William and Aelita watched as Yumi slowly started to open her eyes. Her head hurt and her vision was still blurred. Her vision slowly started to return as she glanced into Ulrich's eyes. Even on Lyoko, his eyes always made her feel special.

"You're okay!" Yumi said in a relieved tone. She glanced over to see Aelita standing behind Ulrich. That's when she noticed William. He had a faint smile on his face as he watched the pair share a moment.

"William?" Yumi gasped in wonder. "What are you doing here?"

"William helped save us from Xervix. If it wasn't for him, we probably would all be dead by now." Aelita said as she walked towards William and leaned on his shoulder in a friendly way.

"Who called him?" Ulrich asked.

"I did. I didn't have much of a choice. It was that or watch you guys die." Jeremy explained.

"You guys... don't want me here do you?" William asked as he turned his back to hide his face. "I understand. I know why you two don't like me. I know why none of you trust me." William said as he laid his sword on the ground. He looked at the sky as he started to wonder what it was exactly he was doing. He saw the events of seven months flash back in his mind; he remembered everything about what happened.

"I didn't want this; I didn't want any of this. I know I've said sorry before. And I know that it can't fix the past. But I'm different now, I'm trying to change, I want to change. I wanna learn from my mistakes. I wanna better myself. I want to change. And I'm trying real hard." William said in a low almost mourning voice.

Suddenly a black beam hit Yumi in the back as she devirtualzed. Ulrich and stood up in time to see Xervix kick him in the face. William tried to grab his sword but was blasted in the leg by another black beam. William fell on his back, as Ulrich tried to get up, but noticed one of his katanas lying next to him. It was the sword Yumi held onto when the Guardian captured her. He reached for it. Suddenly he felt a large crushing feeling on his leg. He turned around in time to see Xervix place a large rock on his leg. He then turned to William and slammed another rock on his leg. Both boys where incapacitated.

"Now the threat still stands. If you save her, one of them will die." Xervix yelled at Jeremy. "Do you think the smoke and mirrors would have held me for long?" Xervix said as he pulled out his scythe. Aelita started to panic as she fired two energy balls at Xervix. Xervix blocked them with his scythe. He slowly approached Aelita.

Ulrich almost had a hold of his sword. He could feel his fingertips touching it. Finally he grabbed it and yelled at William. William looked in time to see Ulrich slide the sword towards him. William grabbed the sword and vaporized into smoke as he flew towards Aelita. He materialized in time to stand in between Xervix and Aelita.

"Sorry Aelita." William said as he stabbed her in the stomach, devirtualizing her on the spot. Xervix yelled in anger as he tried to shoot William. William vaporized into smoke again as he flew towards Ulrich and stabbed him as well. Ulrich devirtalized into a distortion of pixels and polygons.

William turned to Xervix and knew there was only one thing to do. He charged toward the monster with the katana in hand. Xervix picked up his scythe and swung at William. The blade hit William square in his chest and sent him flying off into the distance as he devirtualized. Xervix stood for a few seconds, and came to a conclusion.

"The test went well. I will need some... help." Xervix said as he looked around the area.

The scanner doors opened as William stumble out. He forgot just how hard the return trips were. His vision was a little blurred. He could barely make out figures and shapes and colors of the other people in the room. His hearing was also having problems. All he heard was a high pitched squeal, he couldn't hear or see anything. As his vision began to return, he felt someone grab his shoulder. He struggled to free himself till he heard someone call his name. He looked at the source of the voice, only to see a purple blob standing above him. His vision rapidly began to return as he could make out a face. It was Odd. William also began to notice Ulrich was lying next to a scanner. Inside the scanner he was laying next to, he saw Yumi sitting up inside the scanner. He saw Jeremy come into view as he helped Aelita step out of her scanner, she had one arm tossed around his neck and was slowly dragging her feet. She was having a little trouble, but she was managing. Odd put his arm around William as he helped him stand up. William's hearing also began to return as he started to notice Odd was talking to him.

"Hey are you OK there big guy?" Odd asked.

"I'm… OK." William said as his strength returned to him. He pushed away from Odd as he slowly stumbled his way out of the scanner.

Jeremy slowly sat Aelita down next to the wall. She was breathing heavily and was starting to regain consciousness. Her eyes fluttered a few seconds as she slowly began to move her legs and arms. She felt weak and tired, the floor was hard and cold, but it didn't matter to her, it felt good to sit down. The room was spinning slowly as she started to try and sit up. She felt light headed and sore. A usual sign that she had spent a few hours on Lyoko, and that she had been fighting for her life.

"I thought I lost you." Aelita said as she looked into Jeremy's eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the plan. I didn't want you to worry."

"You scared the life out of me but... I'm just glad you're safe." Jeremy said as he leaned Aelita up and hugged her. He held her tightly, he didn't want to let go for fear that Xervix might come from nowhere and steal her away from him. He tried hard to hide his fear. If there was one thing Jeremy Belpois hated, it was to show his fear in public, especially for the thought of losing Aelita forever. Aelita slowly wrapped her arms around his back. She tried to keep them in place, but she was still weak. She felt tired and sore.

Ulrich started to attempt to stand up. His legs felt like jell-o; he couldn't balance himself enough to stand up straight. He slowly made his way around to face the Scanner. He knelt down and looked at Yumi. She was trying to move herself, but like Ulrich, couldn't find the strength to move. She noticed Ulrich on his hands and knees trying to make his way towards her.

"Don't push yourself. I'm fine." Yumi said as she tried to stop him from going any farther. "Are you okay?"

Ulrich crawled inside the scanner. It felt warm from the heat that it gave off when someone was either virtualized or devirtualized. He sat next to her as he attempted to catch his breath. Yumi laid her head on his shoulder as she rested. She saw William, limping towards the elevator door. He didn't look at anyone but the elevator. Yumi tried to get his attention but couldn't find the strength to speak any louder. Odd ran up to William as he tried to get him to stop. William didn't listen as he walked to the elevator and pushed the button to open the door. He slowly walked in and pressed the button to send the elevator up. Odd ran inside the elevator just in time for the door to close behind him.

"Why are you leaving, William?" Odd asked.

"I think its best that I did." William said with his back towards Odd. "You saw the way they acted when they realized I was there. I have tired time and time again to move on, but every time I do, they are always there to remind me in some way, state, or form."

"But William..."

The elevator door opened as it revealed the night sky. The air was cool and crisp; it was perhaps the coldest night they had since the weather started to heat up so badly.

"See you later Odd. If you guys ever need me, just call." William said as he slowly started to walk off into the distance. He still felt a little weak, but he had enough strength to get him back to the dorms. Odd watched as William slowly disappeared into the dark streets of the city.

William sat on his bed after his shower. He felt a little better after his shower, but was still a little tired. His room was still a mess from the argument he had with himself earlier. He looked at the pieces of broken mirror on the floor. He thought in his head, _I forgot about that. _

As he started to pick up his room, he heard a knock on the door. He walked over to the door and opened it. He was surprised to see Yumi and Ulrich both standing there. They still looked a little tired from a full day of fighting on Lyoko, but they were trying hard to hide the fact that they were also a little sore and worn.

"Can we come in?" Yumi said.

"Uhh yeah come on in." William said. He slowly walked backwards as Ulrich and Yumi both walked into the room.

William walked towards his desk as Ulrich and Yumi stood near the door. Ulrich put his hands in his pockets as Yumi tried to find the right words to say to start off with.

"So how are you feeling?" Ulrich said, trying to buy Yumi some time.

"Uh yeah, I still feel a little woozy but I'm OK." William said, tying to clean the room up a bit. "Where are the others?"

"Odd's in his room, and Jeremy and Aelita stayed at the factory to try and figure out what exactly is going on. And since tomorrow is Sunday, we took them a cot so one of them can sleep on it, which will most likely be Aelita. So more than likely, Jeremy will stay up trying to figure out what happened." Ulrich said.

Yumi looked towards Ulrich, a clear sign that she was ready to speak her mind on the subject at hand.

"Umm. About earlier. The things I said in the lounge, I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have said those things. And what happened seven months ago wasn't your fault. It was your first time, and we didn't really have time to train you. So for everything I said, and for what I might have made you think on Lyoko, and the past six months. I'm sorry." Yumi said in an apologetic tone.

"And, I'm sorry for anything I might have done in the past few months as well. I think maybe its time that the three of us put the past behind us and move on. Today, you actually risked your own life to try and save us. And we never got the chance to thank you for it. So from the bottom of my heart. And I'm sure Yumi is thinking the same way. Thank you for what you did."

"No it's OK. I understand. In fact, I never got the chance to thank you guys for freeing me seven months ago." William said.

"Consider us even then, for today." Yumi said with a smile. "Sooo. Friends?" She said as she held out her hand for a high five.

"Friends." William said as he slapped her hand. Ulrich also held out his hand as William slapped his hand as well.

Ulrich turned to face the door when he noticed the broken glass on the floor.

"What happened here?" He asked as he shifted his foot through the glass.

"A bug." William said.

"A bug???" Yumi asked in response.

"Yeah a, uh, spider." William murmured.

"A spider?" Ulrich questioned.

"Yeah, a big hairy one. Like the big ones from _King Kong._"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

Voice of warning.

Travis sat up in a cold sweat; it was the same nightmare that had haunted him for the past 23 years. The same haunting moment in his life. No matter how much liquor he consumed, or how many times he went to therapy. The same haunting image filled his mind almost every night.

It was 2:00 in the morning. Travis stood up as he stretched from his short nap. He and George decide to get a room in the same hotel that Jessica was staying in while assisting Travis and George with their investigation. After the sudden brush with death, they decided to hole themselves up in her motel room. There were two patrol men sitting out in the parking lot, checking for any signs of a possible intruder. And there were three more officers in civilian clothing in the lobby. So if any one wanted to get in, they would be noticed.

Travis opened the door to his room and knocked on the door to the room across the hall. He heard someone inside the room approach the door. "What's the password?"

Travis suddenly stopped for a minute. "Man just opened the damn door!!!" Travis said in a loud voice. The door opened as George stuck his head out from behind the door. "You guessed it right come on in."

Travis walked in to the room. It was dark; the only light was from a blue desk lamp and the laptop in the corner. Jessica was glued to the laptop as she wrote down all the info from the video journal.

She had gone through the entire set of CDs. And what she had learned was both fascinating and disturbing.

"How you doing?" She asked as she glanced over at Travis who was standing in the doorway.

"Same as always. How's the investigation going?" Travis asked as he pulled up a chair and sat next to her.

"Well it's very disturbing, and also very fascinating." George said as he pulled out a pack of gum and put a piece in his mouth. "So far he has talked about his parents, this Project Vorsea's, and something called Zion . What ever that is."

Jessica pulled out the notebook that she was writing in. She pulled up all the notes that she made while she viewed the video logs. There was quite the extensive list of info that was yet to either be reviewed or check up on. There were a total of five different journal entries on the CD. And so far, they had viewed only three. Each CD was several hours in length, and covered several topics, from how Schaeffer was hired by Mal-tech, to whatever Zion was.

"This guy was either a genius, or a certified whack job." George said as he reached into the mini fridge and grabbed a soda. "OK. Where do we begin? He explains how the government first contacted him to help with the Vorseas project. He said that he had no idea what caused it or how it happened, but he doesn't even go into detail about it. He does go into detail about how he met Antea during the project, and how she saved him from apparently falling into a sink hole. Then he goes into detail about how he took care of her and how he got her off her feet and got her a job with him at Mal-tech. Then he goes on about how he left Mal-tech after he learned about Project Carthage, and project Zion . After which he said that the head of the project, Emilio Estrada, threatened to kill him and his family if he didn't cooperate, and then he goes on about how he had to hide the keys to Lyoko and the keys to Carthage . Whatever that means."

Travis sat in the chair and turned on a lamp sitting next to the chair. He stared out the window as he tried to contemplate what it was that George and Jessica had discovered so far. What was it that Waldo had discovered, why was it so important?

"What the hell is Lyoko and Carthage ?" Travis asked. "Sounds like something out of Star Trek or something."

George flipped through the note pad till he came to the findings of the two names. " Carthage was an ancient city located in Tunisia . It was destroyed during the 3rd Punic Wars until it was rebuilt by the Romans. As for this... Lyoko. There is nothing we could find that was based on anything called Lyoko."

Jessica turned to the laptop and used the rewind function to get to view the part where Waldo talks about the two subjects. She flipped through the screen until she got to the part where Waldo described the two names. "Here it is." She announced.

The video display on the screen showed the young man with gray hair describing his plans involving Lyoko and Carthage .

"The Keys to Zion must never fall into the hands of the Shadows. So I will separate them. One Key will be kept with Carthage , the Other will be hidden with Lyoko. Both keys can only be accessed by someone with my DNA. And it must be accessed by their own free will. If Mal-tech ever finds these keys, our world will face a major crisis." Waldo said as Jessica paused the video.

"We also have no idea what the "Keys" are. It's kind of weird, but he talks like it's a key to activating something." Jessica said as she turned her chair back around to face Travis and George.

"It must be the item he stole from Mal-tech." George said.

"Wait a minute? He stole something from Mal-Tech?" Travis asked. "What did he steal?"

"That, we have no idea. He said he stole the Keys, all the info on the Project, and Carthage . And he took his wife with him. And apparently, his parents knew that they might die from this. Because Waldo apparently asked them what he should do. And they chose death in order to save their son and his wife. Talk about sacrifices for the family." George explained as he looked at Travis. Travis turned around to face the George and Jessica.

"Was there anything else?" Travis asked.

"Yeah there was... one thing." Jessica said as she turned to the laptop and pulled up the 5th video file.

It showed that Waldo had been talking for hours. The time on the video showed it was nine hours into the conversation. Waldo had removed his eyeglasses and showed signs of exhaustion. He also seemed to show signs that he was losing his voice.

"If anyone finds this, then my calculations might have come true… I have died. No matter how many times I went over the data, I knew my death might come true. If you are watching this I have two requests. One. Find and take care of my daughter, Aelita. She is essential to our future. I never wanted her to get caught in all this, but she is the only one who can save us now." The young man said as he began to tear up, he pinched his eyes together with his fingers as he tried to get over his sadness. "The fate of our world is in her hands. But her fate must rely on the hands of others. The second thing is that you must find my wife, Antea Schaeffer. All you need to know and understand is with her. She can help you stop all of this. She is the key to ending Mal-Tech's plans for Zion ."

Travis walked over to the envelope and pulled out the picture they found at the house in Compton. He stared at Antea and Aelita. So these two were the key to solving this whole problem. Travis rubbed his thumb on the corner of the photo. It was strange, Aelita reminded him of Wendy.

"Any word on where that anonymous text message came from?" Travis asked as George walked by him.

"I turned my phone over to the techs here at the L.A. District, we'll find out soon enough." George replied as he noticed Jessica flipping through the video files on disc 3. "What are you doing Jessi?" George said, attempting to poke fun at her.

"One, don't call me Jessi unless you don't want kids one day. Two, I noticed something on his desk next to the video camera."

Travis and George walked over to the laptop as Jessica enlarged the photo as best as she could. The item in question was the back of a photograph. It had the numbers 1956 East Road , PF. And on the bottom, Blockbuster Video, 56 Newark , Delaware .

"What the hell is all that supposed to mean? It looks like the first one is an address, but what's the second?" George asked.

"It looks like an address as well. 1956 East Road , PF? I have no idea." Travis said as he wrote down the addresses on a separate sheet of paper.

"Maybe they're the location of the next tip? Maybe they're hints?" Jessica suggested.

Travis rubbed his chin. It was weird that there would be a possible clue sitting right there on the video screen. Could it be a trap? Or could it be a possible hint as to how to solve not only the case, but what exactly was going on?

"What if it's a trap? We still have no idea who those agents were that tried to kill us." George stated.

"For all we know, they could have figured out where that location is and are waiting for us there. Maybe they knew the location of the CD, and were waiting for someone to find it? Plus now there are apparently people trying to kill us over this CD."

"But think about it George, these guys wanted Waldo dead as well. And this guy has sacrificed himself to not only save us, but possibly his wife and child. And he also bought us some time to find out what is going on so we could prevent it." Jessica protested as she stood up from her chair and looked George in the eye. She took a firm posture, as she argued her case for the investigation into the two locations.

"OK so what says you're right? That means that these guys wanna do anything to stop us from finding it and whatever clue or person that leads us to." George said as he stood up out of the chair.

"And if I am right, that means it's not something we should easily give up either. We could be looking at the biggest threat since 9/11 and you wanna skip it because you might get shot at? Did you even learn a thing from that? Ever since 9/11. We check everything for a possible threat."

George looked her square in the eye. His face went dark as he lowered his head. "My father died on 9/11, he was at the World Trade Center. Don't even talk to me about that subject. It's the reason I joined the bureau." George said in a silent yet firm tone. Jessica's eyes widened as she stepped backwards a little from the shock. "All I'm saying is that we don't even know if what is over there is important enough, it might not even exist."

The room got quiet as Travis stood up and shut the laptop off. He looked at George and Jessica as he decided on his decision. It was a tough decision, both George and Jessica argued good points. But he knew what they had to do.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea." Jessica said in a quiet tone.

"It's OK. Like you said, you didn't know." George said as he sat back down.

"OK. Regardless of who knew and who didn't. It's better to be safe than sorry, so." Travis sighed as he finally made his decision. "We'll check out the first one later, we can get the guys at resources check the address and the number from the text message. Right now, let's get to Newark and find that video store. And watch out for any kind of strange activity while doing so. Like Jessica said George, this might be worth it." Travis said as he tried to persuade George.

"OK. But one thing though, let's try to leave the damage to my baby alone this time. Scratches show on black just as easy as white."

Aelita woke up staring at the ceiling of the lab room. She felt every muscle in her body ache from last night. She slowly sat up as she heard her back pop from the sudden movement. She sat up and stared at the hard metal floor. She remembered how Ulrich and Yumi brought the cot that Yumi had to the lab so that one of them -- and by "one", that meant Aelita -- could sleep on it. She felt a little more energized than when she crashed on it last night after Ulrich and Yumi slowly left the lab. She remembered how at first she just sat on it. She remembered Jeremy sat next to her and tried to talk to her, but everything after that was a complete blank.

She stood up and looked around the lab. There was no one there. She noticed that the computer screen was currently running. She walked over to find a stretched out and sleeping Jeremy. He had his head titled to the left and was using his hands as a pillow, his glasses were hanging off his face and were dangling by one ear. Aelita looked at the slumbering geek. She felt a sense of humor come from the sight of her best friend sleeping in that position. She reached up and slowly removed his eyeglasses. She placed them on the keyboard, as she watched Jeremy shift a little as he slept.

The air in the lab was cool and crisp. Kinda like the interior of a basement on a hot summer day. Aelita slowly sat back down on the cot; she didn't want to disturb Jeremy as he slept. Her back was sore as could be from sleeping on a simple wire frame cot. But it wasn't just from the cot; it was also from the night before. She remembered how the Supercomputer was hacked and how Ulrich and Yumi almost died at the hands of a monster named Xervix. She also remembered how long she was on Lyoko, and how much fighting she had done while she was on there. Every muscle in her entire body ached from the stress that was placed on it last night. She still felt a little weak from the fighting, but she definitely felt better than she was last night. Last night she could barely stand, let alone walk.

Aelita was alerted by a sudden noise from the chair, as Jeremy stood up out of the chair and stretched his legs. Aelita slowly and quietly laid back down and pretended she was asleep as Jeremy started to walk around the lab.

Jeremy reached for his eyeglasses as he started to stretch his legs a little. He had forgotten how hard it was to pull an all nighter, and how bad the chair was for his back. He turned around to see Aelita, sleeping soundly on the cot. He walked over and squatted next to her. Aelita saw this through her barely creaked eyes as she pretended to wake up.

"Morning." Aelita murmured as she sat up.

"How did you sleep?" Jeremy asked as Aelita sat up and made room for him on the cot so he could sit down next to her.

"Like I had fought a rock, and decided to lay on it after a long fight." Aelita said as she rubbed her eyes. "My back feels like someone took a stick to it. What about you?"

"I forgot how hard it was to sleep in that dang chair, and how hard it was to stay awake all night." Jeremy said as he stood up and walked toward the chair. "But I did find out some interesting details about our new friend."

"Like what?" Aelita said as she walked over toward the chair where Jeremy sat.

"Well. I did some research and I found out that when he hacked the mainframe of the Supercomputer, he left a piece of his data there so he can control the monsters and use the Supercomputer to his advantage. But I haven't found out any info on the stuff he retrieved from the Supercomputer. Or what he spoke about last night either. It will take some time for me to figure out what exactly he found on there. I also set the super scanner to let us know if Xervix starts to try and continue the work that Xana started." Jeremy spoke as he set the super scanner to alert mode.

"How did you do that?" Aelita asked.

"I scanned him when you were fighting near the Guardians. It was kinda easy." Jeremy explained. He stepped out of the chair and shut off the monitors. "Well it's about 9 o'clock. Do you wanna get some breakfast?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah. That sounds like the best thing I have heard all week!" Aelita exclaimed as she jumped with joy.

Jeremy opened the elevator door as Aelita made her way inside. As the elevator rose Jeremy leaned up against the wall of the elevator while Aelita bent her back in an attempt to try and relive her back of the stiffness the cot gave her.

"So I noticed last night that you weren't tossing and turning like you said you have been. Did you sleep well?" Jeremy asked as the elevator slowly rose to the top.

"Actually I did have a good night's sleep for once. Except from that hard cot Yumi brought us." Aelita said as she put her hands in her pockets. "How long was it till I went to sleep?"

"Well I sat down to see how you were feeling and the next thing I remember, you were snoring."

Aelita suddenly stood up straight. She turned to Jeremy as her face turned bright red. "I DONT SNORE!!!!"

"Oh yeah you do! Not as bad as Odd, kinda like a type of panting noise. But soft sounding." Jeremy said as the elevator door finally opened, revealing the humid morning air. They walked past the bridge and headed into town. The streets were actually a little slow this morning. There was hardly any traffic, and only a few people were out driving around.

"Sorry." Aelita said in ashamed voice. "I hope I didn't disturb you up with it, or bother you?"

"No, no. You didn't. It wasn't like I could hear it from where I was at anyways. I'm sorry I brought it up." Jeremy said in an apologetic tone.

"Then that settles it." Aelita announced as they approached a stop light near an intersection. They stood waiting for the light to change. "That settles what?" Jeremy asked.

"You're sorry, I'm sorry." Aelita said with a smile on her face.

"Didn't you get that off a movie we saw at my house?" Jeremy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but I can't remember what I got that off of."

Aelita looked at Jeremy as their eyes met. Jeremy stared into her eyes. Those small, innocent green eyes. Whenever Jeremy looked her in the eye, he felt both a sense of fear, and strength. It made him want to be stronger for her, to be there for her, to protect her. And at the same time, he felt extremely shy in front of her.

Aelita stared into Jeremy's eyes. His eyes were a dark blue color. When she stared into his eyes, she felt such warmth in their presence. Like she was safe and secure. She had always joked about how Jeremy's puppy dog like eyes matched his puppy dog like attitude. But that's what she liked about him.

Aelita slowly moved towards Jeremy's face as he did the same. Jeremy's heart raced, he instinctively wanted to move away. But his heart was forcing him closer to Aelita's lips. Aelita slowly closed her eyes. She could feel Jeremy's breath on her lips. And then.......

A sudden horn blaring startled the two of them as a car drove by at high speeds. Jeremy and Aelita's faces turned scarlet as they both looked up. Once again, fate had kept them apart.

"So you know. We don't have to go to the lunch room. We can always hit a fast food joint before we head back to the dorms." Jeremy suggested. Aelita agreed as they both made their way into town.

They tried to hide it but both of them were disappointed in what had just transpired. It was almost frustrating. And they both thought their 3rd time would be a charm.

Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd sat at the lunch table eating breakfast. Odd looked like he had slept for almost days; he felt fresh and recharged. But Ulrich still felt a little groggy. Even though he slept most of the night, Odd's snoring still waked him up every once and a while.

Yumi also felt a little slow. After she and Ulrich left William's room, Ulrich walked her home. She didn't even bother getting dressed for bed. She just crashed on her bed and fell asleep. She woke up to the sound of Hiroki accidentally breaking something in the kitchen, and the sound of her father knocking over a mop bucket full of water. So long story short, she fell asleep in a bad way, and woke up in a bad way.

"Those dorks. They went to McDonald's for breakfast and left us here!!" Odd stammered as he got off the phone with Jeremy. "They better bring me back something."

"Did Jeremy say if there was any progress in that AI we ran into last night?" Yumi asked as she rested her chin on her hand.

"He said he would explain it later." Odd said as he drank the last of his milk.

"Hey not to loud will ya" Ulrich said in a mumbling manner.

"Why? Someone might hear?" Odd asked.

"No. I'm too tired to think about what's its name."

"AWW maybe sleeping beauty should get a kiss from his princess charming?" Odd joked as he made a kissy face and looked back and forth between Yumi and Ulrich.

"Sorry but 'Princess charming' is way too tired for that" Yumi said as she stretched her arms.

William entered the lunchroom and walked over to the table. He, like Odd, felt a little better after his sleep. He walked over and stood behind Odd.

"Do you guys mind if I sit with you guys?" William asked.

"Nah sit down Mr. Hero. You're one of us now." Odd said as he pulled out a chair for William.

"Mr. Hero?" William asked as he sat down. "So how is everyone doing?" William asked as he sat back in his chair.

"Well the two love birds there are still out of it, and I'm doing fine, except last night I had a weird dream that I turned into a werewolf. I was yellow and had a purple stripe in my hair. And every one else, except Aelita were wolves as well. As for the other secret love birds, they're eating out for breakfast. Also, Jeremy's gonna go over what he found about our new virtual buddy when they get back." Odd explained as finished up his breakfast.

Odd stood up and walked towards the trash can as William turned around and looked at Yumi and Ulrich, who both looked like two sloths in a tree.

"So how are you doing Will?" Ulrich murmured again.

"Can't complain. Although I don't wanna rub it in, since you guys aren't feeling well." Will said.

"Well let's just say that I'm glad we don't have class today. Or you would probably hear a sudden thud noise every once and a while." Ulrich said as he tried to sit up.

"As for me, there isn't enough coffee in the world to keep my eyes open." Yumi said as the three of them stood up and made their way to the door.

The three of them made their way out to the bench where they were waiting for Aelita and Jeremy to arrive. Odd walked out and made his way towards them. He walked past Tanell and her gang as they started laughing at him as he walked past. Odd stopped and looked in their direction. Tanell stared at him for a second, and finally yelled at Odd.

"Run Forrest!! Run!!!" She yelled as Herb and Nicholas busted into laughter.

Odd just stared as he walked over to the others. He put his hands in his pockets and frowned as he walked up to the bench. Ulrich and Yumi were sitting on it while William stood like he was in the army or some kind of military like school.

"Man I hate that girl. I can't even think of a comeback towards her." Odd said as he grumbled about what just transpired.

"Who? The Lewis Girl?" William asked as he looked behind Odd and noticed the three kids still laughing.

"Ohh I hate that American. I can't even understand why she is so rotten." Odd said as he kicked a rock next to his feet.

"She actually asked me if I was Gothic once in the hall." Yumi said as she joined in the conversation. "And Ulrich still can't get over what she said when he almost hit Nicholas."

"I haven't really talked to her yet. But why is Herb and Nicholas with her instead of Sissi?" William asked.

"From what I heard, Tanell embarrassed Sissi and they left her that day." Yumi said as she stood up.

"I kinda feel sorry for her. Maybe we should let her hang with us when we are not dealing with Xervix" Ulrich said as he sat back on the bench.

"I don't know. I mean I feel the same way as you guys but what if she learns about it? She had no problem telling on us before." Odd said as he stared at a bird sitting in a tree.

"Well talk it over when Jeremy and Aelita get here. By the way, does anyone know if they're dating or not?" Yumi said "First they look like they are, then they aren't. What are they?"

"I think Jeremy wants to be more than friends. He asked me how he should approach Aelita with the question." Ulrich admitted. "And I think Aelita feels the same way."

"Why don't they just admit it?" Yumi said.

"OHHHH. Like you two have room to talk. You two were on and off all the time. It drove us nuts." Odd blurted in disbelief. "At least they have a better idea than you two ever had." Odd said.

"Hey it wasn't that bad." Yumi said in protest.

"Are you kidding? When we hung out you were all 'Ulrich this and Ulrich that' I never understood why Ulrich always felt so threatened." William said in response.

"Really? She talked about me a lot?" Ulrich asked.

The old man walked up to the apartment he had rented while he was in France . The temperature was still hot and humid for the month. The local schools where preparing to let out for the summer. As was his targets school. He walked into the apartment and removed his jacket. His apartment was recently cleaned by the room service ladies. He made sure to tell them that they were not to touch the laptop or the items in the fridge. He walked past his bed and turned the air conditioner to high as he flipped open his laptop and turned it on. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a strange looking card. It had a small wire antenna and a strange looking microchip sitting on the edge, connecting the antenna to the card. He slid it in and turned on the computer.

The man walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of alcohol. He poured it into a cup and began drinking out of it. He looked out the window as the laptop suddenly flashed and displayed a blue screen. A symbol appeared on the screen. It was circular with three lines in it. The speakers clicked as a voice echoed in it. The old man put on a head set as he prepared to start a conversation with some one.

"Hello. How is your stay going?" the voice asked.

"It's hotter than hell out here. And I really don't like the heat, you know that." The old man said as he poured another drink from his bottle. "I saw them yesterday. She looks just like her."

"I predicted as much, but I'm afraid we might have a problem. There is now no sign of the Super virus anywhere on the Internet. I'm afraid our fears might have come true."

The old man lowered his glass as he looked towards the laptop. "Our new friend found his way home?"

There was a pause on the ear piece as the laptop flashed again, followed by the voice he was talking to.

"Yes. All the scenarios that Waldo talked about might start to take fruition. It might be a matter of time before the Agency discovers them."

The old man laid down his glass as he sat on the bed next to the desk. He stared out the window as he thought about what might happen next.

"They want the blond boy and Aelita right? Not the others?" The old man said.

"Right. But they will more than likely try to capture the others and cryo them as well, in order to try and silence any possible leaks to avoid interference with their plans. In order for Waldo's plans to succeed, we will need the help of both the French government and the United States government, if those children can work together with the police agencies to stop Mal-Tech's plans."

The old man drank out of the bottle as he contemplated what his partner meant.

"You mean the FBI and the Directorate-General for External Security?" The old man said as he drank from the bottle again.

"You're drinking again, aren't you?" The voice said in a worrisome voice.

The old man stopped drinking as he looked towards the laptop. "What's it to you?" The old man said.

The voice paused as the old man finished his bottle and threw it in the trash.

"Have you had those nightmares again?"

The old man paused a second as he looked out the window. Suddenly his face grew bright red as his whole body filled with rage.

"It's none of your damn business!!!" The old man shouted loudly. They both got real quiet as the old man slowly tried to hide his feelings. "No. It's just that seeing her brought back some memories."

"That's understandable. We'd better cut this off before someone catches on." The voice said.

"OK. So by now the kids will be fighting Xervix and the FBI will possibly be looking for the clues to the Key, right?" the old man said as he stood up.

"Right. So for now, I'll keep an eye on Aelita and her boyfriend. I'll also keep and eye out for any signs of 'Symptoms'. And I'll monitor the supercomputer with the program, and you let me know when I should make my move."

"Agreed. I'll keep Mal-Tech out for as long as possible and keep the FBI looking for the Key. I will contact you by phone later."

The old man walked over to the laptop and set it to shut down, "OK, logging off now. Later."

"Good bye Mr. Morse." the voice said.

"I told you to call me Frank."

Medusa


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17  
Masters of Lyoko

Xervix sat in the middle of a large red room inside a large tower in Sector 5. He sat on a single red block that sat out of the floor. He gazed into a series of 5 holo screens. Each screen showed a single Lyoko warrior from Ulrich to William. It showed the Gang fighting some of the monsters Xervix created when he arrived.

Xervix frowned as he noticed that there was a pattern extremely different from his monsters. The gang worked together, while the monsters didn't. The monsters were remote controlled through a psychic power that Xana used. Xervix knew he had something similar that he used. Only it had a more effective use. It gave the monsters the ability to control other monsters, like the Defenders. They had the power to order lesser monsters around, like a general on the battlefield. Xervix realized he needed more than that. He needed monsters that could think and act for themselves. He needed monsters similar to William before he was released from Xana.

Xervix shut off the Screens and walked towards the middle of the tower. He remembered the program that Estrada gave him. He could use it, but he knew that if he did, he would alert Estrada to his location. And he knew that Estrada was looking for Jeremy and Aelita, and that by now Estrada knew that he had not checked in for a while. Estrada had some idea that the kids were in France. He just didn't know where at, and what they looked like.

Xervix opened a new Holo screen and scrolled down the list. He gazed at all the programs the Super computer had. Suddenly he noticed something. He stared at the file name.

EX//';.TOWER5['/['MOUT._":"P"MUFFIN"o;./;...'.'';

It was a program for a AI. It was stored in a tower in the Mountain Region.

"So that's how they avoided an inquiry?" Xervix said as he walked to the center of the room. He held out his hands as it glowed an eerily purple light. In seconds, a figure stood before him. It was a young boy, in his late teens, with curly black hair. It was William, It was the clone.

Xervix approached it as he held out his hand. He rubbed its hair as he looked at its face. It had its eyes closed and had a silent look to it. He placed his hand on its shoulder. His hand glowed orange as a black mist seeped out of his hand and onto the clone. The Clone started to respond to the mutation. Its face winced in pain as the color in its face went from normal to almost a pale white. It opened its eyes as Xana symbols appeared in them. A strange black cloud appeared around it as it entangled the clone like a tentacle. The cloud attached to its body as volts of electricity came from the clone's body. The Clone screamed in pain as there was a bright flash of light. The light was bright enough to light up the entire area.

Xervix stared at the glow as it faded, the smoke in the room cleared as a single figure stood in the clone's place. It stood up to reveal a short cape behind it, flowing in the wind. It was muscular and tall, about the size of the clone. It held in its hand a long sword that seemed twisted and warped in a black substance, a Xana Symbol in the middle. As the smoke cleared Xervix got a better look at it. It had a dark hood over its face. Xervix couldn't see its face as he stared at the creature. It looked around the room as it rested its sword on the ground. It stared at Xervix as it walked towards him.

"Who am I?" The monster said.

"You are a product of my power, a god among insects. You are my servant." Xervix answered

"Who are you?"

"I am Xervix. I am your creator, and lord of this world." Xervix said as he stretched his arms out to show his world.

"What do you want with me my lord?" The Warrior said as it looked around its terrain.

"What do I want? Well there is an item, and there are two people I need to acquire the item. But they're protected, and I need you and a few others to help me." Xervix said as he sat back down on the stool.

"You see, there are these... protectors. They constantly stand between me and the couple. And I need to find some way around this couple." Xervix said "See, this couple is of interest to you too."

The A.I. looked at Xervix in wonder. What did this Xervix mean? Of interest to him?

"You see, you're an Artificial Intelligence. An A.I. that they created. You were a tool that they used to fill the blank of their old friend who my predecessor used to his advantage. When they found him, they removed you and stored you here on the super computer. You were discarded and tossed to the side as if you were nothing. They preferred their William over you." Xervix said with a sinister tone.

"But why would they do that? If they created me, why would they just throw me to the side like that?" The A.I. said.

"Because they are fools. They treated you like garbage, and replaced you with a mere insect. To them, you're a speck of digital trash. Would you like to see what they were like?" Xervix asked.

The A.I. nodded its head. Xervix walked over to it and placed his hand on the A.I.'s forehead. The A.I. saw its entire history. It saw how it was created, and how it was removed from the world. It also remembered the joys and feelings that it had in that world. It wanted to feel that joy again.

Xervix removed his hand and stepped back. "Would you like to feel that world again? Would you like revenge?"

The A.I. nodded its head in agreement.

"I will grant you the ability to replace the one called William, the human you're based on. You will posses his body and walk the earth till the end of his body's lifetime. Then we will find you another." Xervix said as he opened several holo panels, revealing the person in question. In one panel, he was fighting the Defender. In another, he was busy trying to save Aelita from Xervix.

"I can already assure you, master, I despise that human." the A.I. said.

"Excellent," Xervix said, "now to work on the other A.I." Xervix said as he sat down on the stool again. "But first, we must go on the offensive."

The gang sat in Jeremy's room. He was busy installing some files on his computer, files about information he found the night before, after the fight with Xervix. Aelita sat on Jeremy's bed, leaning her back up against the wall. Ulrich and Yumi sat on the floor while William stood up against Jeremy's closet. Odd sat on the corner of Jeremy's bed playing his game boy as he tried to finish up a level.

"OK. Last night while most of you guys slept, Aelita and I did a little research into our new friend Xervix and what he is. So far what we know is that he wants Aelita for some reason. He hacked the super computer and knows how to work it, and he is extremely powerful and dangerous." Jeremy said as he brought up a screen shot of Xervix, swinging his scythe at Ulrich.

"We also know that he claims to be the reincarnation of Xana, and definitely has control over Xana's monsters and can mutate them to create new ones even more powerful than the last." William said rubbing his arm as he remembered what it was like to fight the Defender.

"So then what does all this mean? Where did he come from?" Yumi asked as she sat back a little ways.

"Well I think I found some possibilities last night." Jeremy said as he loaded up a program. Two windows popped up on the monitor. They both showed a series of programs and codes floating on the screen. The first code was green and looked very erratic. Some symbols looked smooth and calm. The others looked jagged and sharp. The second screen's codes were red, only these codes where extremely smooth.

"On the left are Xana's old codes that I decoded a long time ago. These are the basic codes that Xana's main program was made up of. Everything, from basic perimeters to deciding certain attacks was decided through these codes." Jeremy said as Odd raised his hand. "Think of these codes as Xana's brain, Odd." Jeremy said as Odd lowered his hand.

"Why are the shapes so distorted and shaped differently?" Ulrich asked.

"Well those are the codes that corrupted Xana. They should be smooth and peaceful looking. But when Xana was first activated, its core program was disfigured and distorted." Aelita answered as she leaned forward a bit.

"Now, on the right are the codes that Xervix has. See how they're smoother than the codes Xana had?" Jeremy asked as he looked around the room. "That's because Xervix's codes are more in tune. They're almost perfect. Perfectly created. But here is something else." Jeremy said as he clicked on one of the codes. The window zoomed in on a code to reveal that parts of the code were red, while the rest was green.  
"The Green Data Codes are new. Almost flawless, these are Xervix's codes. And the red ones are Xana's codes." Jeremy said as he panned around the room. William and Odd had a puzzled look on their faces. Ulrich and Yumi stared at the code in question. Aelita had a look of shock on her face.

"I figured you would get it Aelita." Jeremy said as the group looked at her.

"But what does it mean?" Yumi asked as she changed positions, from Indian style to a prone position.

Aelita swallowed hard. She didn't want to admit it, but perhaps one of her worst fears was a reality. "It means some one created Xervix from Xana's remains. And sent it after us?" Aelita said slowly as she tried to comprehend what Jeremy was trying to figure out.

The group stared at Aelita in disbelief. Could she have been right? Was it true?

"So wait. Who would send a crazy A.I. after us? We didn't do anything wrong. Did we?" Ulrich asked as he stood up to stretch his leg. His leg fell asleep from the constant sitting on his leg.

"Not us. Franz Hopper." Yumi said as she looked up at her boyfriend. "They must have sent it after Franz Hopper. And whoever sent it must have figured that we were trying to help him. That's why Xervix had so many monsters. It was waiting for us. It knew we were gonna try and inspect Lyoko."

"Who's Franz Hopper?" William asked. The Gang stared at him for a minute. "I heard the name before but I never knew who he was. Did he build the Supercomputer?"

"Yeah. He built it." Jeremy said as he glanced at the others, a stern look on his face that the others mirrored. They knew that Yumi never told William about Franz and Aelita. They would have to tell him eventually. But Jeremy and Aelita would tell him when the time was right.

"OK so let me see if I have this so far. A crazy A.I. appears out of nowhere. And it was created by the organization that is after the supercomputer." Odd asked.

"Well there's more than that." Jeremy said as he closed the windows.

"I knew it." Odd said sarcastically.

Jeremy reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook. After flipping through the pages of the notebook, he found the pages he wanted and began to read from them. "OK. After Xervix hacked the supercomputer, he started to download several files which neither me or Aelita knew about. Some of the things he covered were, I guess code names."

"You mean those wired names we saw that day at the lab?" Ulrich said. "I only remember one was named Avatar."

"You mean that weird American cartoon about the guy and the arrow tattoo?" Odd joked.

"Hey! I like that show" Yumi said in defiance. "Ulrich and I watch it when ever it's on. It's ok"

"Anyways. Getting back to subject. Some of the items we saw were the names. There was Avatar, Observer, Keys to Lyoko, Keys to Carthage. And the System." Jeremy said as he placed the note book on the desk.

"What the heck is an Observer? Or even the System?" William asked. "Have you ever heard of those things before?"

"No. We never saw anything like this before. Not even an Avatar or a Key to Carthage." Jeremy said.

"But we know what the Keys to Lyoko are. Don't we?" Yumi asked. Suddenly she realized that Aelita was the Key to Lyoko. She didn't say another word so that William wouldn't jump to conclusions.

"Well yes, there is that, which leads me to wonder what it really means. It's possible that it is entirely different from the keys that we know." Jeremy said as he glanced at Aelita. She wrapped her arms around her knees as she stared at the wall. She was trying to remember if there was anything she could remember about her father or anything that she could think of that remotely related to the current situation.

"Well at least we have a possible advantage." Jeremy said. The gang stared at him in disbelief as they tried to understand what he meant. "When Xervix took control of the supercomputer, he left a part of his program at the core so if the main body was destroyed, he could create a new one. But by doing so, the copy he created holds only half of his power. He needs time to regain that power before he can try another move. But if he unites with that half, he can go on for who knows how long."

"Ok so what about these new sectors? What are they?" Ulrich asked as Jeremy grabbed his notebook again.

"They're not new sectors. They're more like run-ons. A kind of sub sector. But what they do I have no idea." Jeremy said as he brought up a picture of what Lyoko now looked like. Instead of a blue orb with four sections around it, there was a blue orb with four sections, and underneath those sectors were white sectors, almost like a layer underneath them.

"So far there is a Volcano sector that sits underneath the Mountain sector. There is an Ocean sector that sits under the Ice sector. Almost like it's a part of the sector. There appears to be a Sky sector that sits above the Desert sector. And a Cave sector that lies under the Forest sector." Jeremy said as he pointed to the locations on the map.

"Didn't you say there was a fifth new sector?" Yumi asked.

"There is and there is isn't." Jeremy explained. He clicked on the image of Sector 5 and zoomed in on a small section that was white. "It's kinda the memory sector for the entire supercomputer. Every piece of data is stored here and can be retrieved either directly or from Sector 5. The reason I call it a City sector is because it looks like a city. You have these large gray structures that hold the data on the computer. And they're connected by these blue panel-like roads that run underneath the floor. At least I think; we won't know till we explore it." Jeremy said as he pointed at the sector underneath Sector 5.

"Why don't we just shut down the supercomputer? Instead of trying to destroy Xervix. Let's just shut it down?" Ulrich said as Yumi held his hand.

"Because I figured out what has been causing all the power outages, computer problems and more importantly, the surge at the cafeteria. It was him." Jeremy said as he brought up Xervix's code once more. "These red parts of Xana's code act more like the code of a virus. They can allow him to interact with any mainframe or program and alter it in any way. If we shut down the computer, he will just try and get us to turn it back on."

"There goes our trump card." Yumi said as she stood up to stretch her legs. "Is there anything else we can't do?"

"A bad one too." Jeremy said as he turned to face his friends. "The RTTP program has been deactivated. What ever power source it was connected to in the supercomputer has been disconnected."

Ulrich and Odd suddenly jumped to their feet as Aelita's face went pale. Yumi stared at Jeremy in disbelief. William just looked at everyone. He knew that the gang had some kind of mind altering technology but didn't know the extent of it.

"You mean if something happens we can't go back in time?" Aelita said franticly.

"No. I'm gonna try to look at it later and find out why. But till I found out why it's having problems we need to be careful" Jeremy said as the gang started to settle down a little bit. "Now all that's left is the Monsters and how we can counter theses new creepies and anything else Xervix could create. We so far saw that Xervix can control the older monsters and can create newer ones. So in order to combat these new monsters we'll need to update our equipment. And William will need a vehicle as well." Jeremy said as he glanced at William, who was surprised.

"You mean I get a ride?" Will asked as Jeremy nodded.

Ulrich and Yumi smiled at William in approval as Aelita shook her head in approval.

"Wait a minute. Will has the smoke... thing. Doesn't that count?" Odd asked.

"Well it actually can wear William down when he's running. I noticed it when he was carrying Aelita to the tower to regenerate her life points. So he will need some kind of new vehicle, and Yumi's could use some work as well."

"What do you mean?" Yumi asked as she looked at Jeremy.

"When Aelita was using the decoy to lure Xervix away from the Guardians, he easily caught up with it. You're gonna need something a little more faster and sleeker." Jeremy assured her.

"OK so for right now since its Sunday we should take it easy and listen for our new worst friend in the whole wide world." Ulrich said as he wrapped his arm around Yumi who turned around and smiled at him lovingly. "Yumi and I are gonna go catch a movie tonight. We'll keep our phones on vibrate."

"OK, I'm gonna work on your upgrades. Will and I are gonna start designing his vehicle." Jeremy said as he turned to the monitor.

"You guys wanna order a pizza tonight? I'll buy." William said as he looked towards Aelita and Odd.

"Make sure its pineapple and ham. It's not a pizza without pineapple and ham." Odd said as Aelita made a disgusted look.

Yumi and Ulrich bid everyone goodbye as they left the room. Aelita sat for a minute and came to a conclusion.

"You know, I'm gonna go and… make my bed since I'm gonna be so tired tonight." Aelita said as she crept towards the door. Jeremy, William, and Odd looked at her questioningly. "OK Aelita." Jeremy said as she slipped out the door. The three boys stared at each other in confusion.

Yumi and Ulrich had just stepped outside when they heard Aelita call their names. The two stopped as they turned to see a pink haired girl stop next to them and catch her breath.

"Uhh what is it Aelita?" Yumi asked.

"I'm sorry I know you guys want to get to the movie but I need some advice from you two." Aelita said as she gasped for breath.

"You know you can ask us anything Aelita. What is it?" Ulrich asked.

"How did you two ask each other out?" Aelita asked. There was a moment of silence between the three as Ulrich and Yumi tried to place their words correctly.

"Uhh I kinda just asked her out a few days after we shut down the supercomputer. Why?" Ulrich asked.

"Well I know a classmate in P.E. who wants to... know how to ask someone out who won't ask her out and..."

"Is this kid's name Aelita?" Yumi asked.

"Yes… WAIT NO IT'S...." Aelita panicked as her face turned red. Ulrich and Yumi burst into laughter as Aelita's face turned bright red.

"Don't worry we won't tell anyone." Ulrich said. "Just go up to Jeremy and ask him. It's not that hard, he probably feels the same way you do." Ulrich asked.

"I... I don't know. Sometimes I think he does and sometimes I think it's all in my head and that he's just my best friend." Aelita said as she bowed her head a little.

"The guy spent almost a hundred dollars on your shoes the other day. He must be trying to send a message. Besides, Ulrich never does anything like that." Yumi said as she shot Ulrich a joking glance, to which Ulrich frowned at her. It made Aelita laugh a little as she stared at the couple.

"Look, just go up there and ask him out. I'm pretty sure he feels the same way you do." Ulrich said. "Just remember to speak with your mind and not your heart. It's your heart that can get you in trouble when you talk with it." Ulrich said as he pointed towards his heart.

Aelita nodded as she thanked them and walked inside. Yumi and Ulrich turned around as they made their way to Yumi's house. "Jeremy asked you something similar, didn't he?" Yumi asked.

"Oh yeah. Almost the same words." Ulrich said as they turned around and started to walk out the gate. "I bet Aelita has more guts then Jeremy and asks him out first."

Yumi looked at Ulrich for a second. "What? No way. Aelita's a little to shy at times. Jeremy will ask her out first." Yumi said in Jeremy's defense.

"Ooh no I would bet on Aelita asking Jer. If you notice, he does almost whatever she says." Ulrich said in defiance.

"Wanna put a bet on it?" Yumi asked.

"What kind of bet?" Ulrich asked as they left the school grounds.

"If Jeremy asks Aelita out first, I'll... make you some dango dessert that you liked the time you had dinner with my folks."

Ulrich rubbed his chin as he thought about the Japanese dumplings Yumi's mom prepared the first time he had dinner with her parents. At first they looked like wax balls. But when he tried them, they tasted like doughnuts. He ate about three that night.

"Deal.... But what do you get if you win, which you won't." Ulrich asked.

"You have to do whatever I say for a day. Even if it means shaping your hair like Odd's" Yumi said with a smile.

"EWWW!!! OK deal, since I know Aelita will ask out Jer." Ulrich said as he shuddered at the thought of having his hair like Odd's.

Yumi and Ulrich walked to their house as Yumi wrapped her left arm around his waist and Ulrich wrapped his arm around hers.

Odd stepped out of his room as Aelita had just sat down and passed out some sodas she just bought. William had ordered a pizza since they were going to hang out in Jeremy's room. He was gonna sneak to his room to grab Kiwi since he hadn't seen the dog all day. For the past two years, Kiwi had hid in the school and he hide very well. Jim came close a couple times but never really found out about the sneaky pouch. Some of the kids knew about the dog while others still had no idea what was making the random barking noises.

Odd opened the door as he saw Kiwi sleeping on Ulrich's bed, chewing on a pair of Ulrich's socks. The dog sat up and wagged his tail in joy at the sight of his master.

"Hello little puppy doggy." Odd said as the dog jumped into his arms. He grabbed his leash and snuck the dog down the stairs and out to the forest behind the woods, pausing every few seconds to make sure Jim or any other teacher wasn't following him. Kiwi instinctively stopped whenever Odd did. The dog was trained well to stop and hide if Odd ever made a slight grunt. It had worked several times before and still worked to this day.

Odd was on his way back to the dorms from giving Kiwi his bathroom break. The sun was still high in the sky as a flock of birds flew overhead. The air was hot and stagnant, the humidity was unbearable. Odd sneaked towards the dorm when he heard someone speak to him in a low voice.

"Hey Odd. Hey dog."

It was Sissi. She was sitting on the bench looking out towards the trees. She seemed kinda sad about something; she just looked up towards the sky with a sorrowful, lonely look on her face. At first Odd thought about ignoring her and walking by. But even Odd felt sorry for her. Here she was trying to change, and Herve and Nicholas had left her for Tanell. She was all alone.

"Wait. Why aren't you trying to get me or Kiwi in trouble?" Odd said as he picked up the dog.

"I... I guess I just don't wanna do it anymore." Sissi said as she rested her hands on her chin.

Odd slowly approached Sissi as he tried to figure out what exactly he would say. For the past two years, Sissi and Odd never really got along that well. They did have their moments where they helped each other out, but those were extremely scarce.

Odd knew that Herve and Nicholas had left Sissi for Tanell, and she hadn't had much luck making new friends. She had spent most of her time alone, and Yumi and Aelita had been too busy to work out that much this week so she had been left out in the cold for a little too long.

Odd walked up to Sissi and looked her in the eye. Sissi finally noticed as she also made eye contact. At first there was a cold silence, even in the heat. Finally Odd broke the silence.

"That look on your face... you look like my cousin when she hasn't gotten enough sleep." Odd joked.

"What you doing?" Odd asked.

Sissi stared at him for a few seconds as she tried to comprehend what Odd was trying to say. Was he trying to make fun of her like he always did or was he being serious?

"I'm just sitting here is all. Thinking." Sissi said in a low voice.

"What about?" Odd asked as he sat down next to her with Kiwi sitting on the ground looking at them.

"If I have changed at all, or if I have changed and I am no better than I was originally." Sissi said as she lowered her head.

"I heard that Tanell embarrassed you in front of Herve and Nicolas. Why do they hang out with her and not you?" Odd asked as he scratched Kiwi.

Sissi looked at Odd for a minute. She didn't know if Odd was looking for a possible chance to make fun of her, but then again, Odd was trying to be sincerer and nice. She had fought with Odd for two years. Maybe he was trying to change.

"Well... I think it's because I have neglected them so much. I think I spent so much time trying to change and be more of a friend to you guys that I neglected to try and better my relationship with them. Maybe Tanell's right. I am a baby."

Odd almost said an insult till he stopped himself and decided to forget about it. "Well I think that maybe you should confront them and apologize to them." Odd said as he sat back on the bench.

"It's not that simple. Herve had a crush on me and I turned him down almost as much as Ulrich did to me. I felt horrible when he did that, and sometimes I even cried because of it. And now I have done the exact same thing to Herve for the past few years."

"Ooh. You had a serious crush on Ulrich huh?" Odd said as he looked at her.

"I have ever since elementary school. And when he started to hang out with you guys and left me behind, I felt almost alone and sad. I guess that's when I turned to trying to break you guys up. And now that I stand back and look at myself, I was horrible to you guys." Sissi said as she lowered her head.

"Well I hate to admit it, but yeah you were kind of a nuisance. That's also why I made fun of you so much." Odd said.

"Well at least you're honest." Sissi said as she stood up and stretched.

"You shouldn't take anything that Tanell girl says seriously. She's more like Toenail anyways" Odd said as Sissi laughed a little.

"And that horrible white dress she's always wearing? She looks like a ghost or something. And then she has that ridiculously large head, I mean you could seriously land an airplane on that thing." Sissi remarked as Odd burst into laughter.

"Oh oh oh. What about those ridiculous looking shoes. I mean she has some huge feet. Almost like a clown or something. I'm waiting for her to put on a red nose and honk a horn or something." Odd smirked as Sissi sat down laughing.

"Oh no. I'll tell you what it is. It's that squeaky mouse voice she has. She tries to act all mean but she sounds like some stupid Mickey Mouse character."

Odd and Sissi laughed for a few seconds till Odd's phone went off. Odd answered it as Sissi petted Kiwi.

"OK I'll be there in a minute. Just save me a slice." Odd said as he hung up his phone. He looked at Sissi as she stopped petting Kiwi and looked at him.

"I guess you gotta go huh?" Sissi said.

"Yeah, me and the others ordered pizza. And it's here."

"I better get going too." Sissi said as she got up.

"Gonna go hang out with your dad?" Odd said.

"No he is gonna be at a board meeting tonight. He won't be back till later. So I guess I'm gonna go and listen to some music in my room." Sissi said as she started to walk off. Kiwi began whining as the tall girl walked off. The dog looked back at Odd and gave the boy a look straight into his eye.

"OK I'll ask her." Odd said as he gave Kiwi a frown. "I hope I don't regret this" Odd muttered as he called for Sissi. "Hey Sissi. Do you wanna hang out with us tonight?" Odd shouted as Sissi turned and gave him a puzzled look.

"Huh? No that's OK Odd. I wouldn't want to impose." Sissi said before Odd cut her off.

"No no it will be fine. I'll call the others and let them know. Besides Kiwi kinda forced me into it." Odd said as he pulled out his cell phone.

"What do you mean he forced you into it?" Sissi asked as Odd texted Jeremy that he was gonna bring Sissi to hang out with them. Jeremy texted him back to go ahead, that William and Aelita had hid most of the stuff they didn't want Sissi to see that pertained to Lyoko.

"Well last time he left a little surprise in my old shoes. And it's when he gave me the exact same look." Odd said as he looked down at Kiwi. Kiwi was sitting and wagging his tail with a look of almost innocence on his face.

"Well. I guess I could hang with you guys for a few minutes." Sissi finally admitted as Odd led her to Jeremy's room, the small dog lagging behind, wagging his tail at the same time.


	19. Chapter 19

.

Chapter 18

Hidden World

It was a bright sunny day in Newark, Delaware. The sun was shining, birds were singing. It was a beautiful spring day. A Black Mustang GT drove down the street as it neared its destination. George drove as always; Jessica was in the back typing on her laptop, reviewing all the information she had learned and gathered over the course of the investigation. Travis was in the front seat looking out the window. He watched the many different people walking about, enjoying the warm sunny day. Travis noticed a woman and her kid walking down the street. The kid was smiling and hugging his mother. The mother was showing the same affection as the kid. Travis's mind slowly drifted back to Wendy and to May 3rd 1982. He could see her face in the reflection of the window. She was giving him the same warm smile she usually gave. Travis reached out to touch the glass when he was suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Travis!!!!" George said, shaking him awake. Travis looked at George and then back to Jessica as he realized what was going on.

"You doing ok?" George asked. Travis replied by nodding his head. "Did you see her?"

"Yeah. I did." Travis replied.

"Saw who?" Jessica replied as she leaned forward from the rear of the car.

Travis breathed heavily as George stared straight ahead, knowing that Travis didn't want to talk about it. Travis never liked to talk about it. It was something that haunted his dreams for the past two decades.

"I heard about it before I met you two. Wendy Dalesman, age…"

"Please… just drop it, ok?" Travis said. "Nothing personal, I just don't like hearing about the past."

Jessica put her hand on Travis's shoulder as she brushed a few of her black locks out of the way. She leaned back in the rear of the car and continued to type on her laptop. She felt bad for Travis. No man should ever see something like that happen. "Sorry."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Travis said as he turned around and looked out the window. "So what's the address where looking for?"

"It's the address to a storage unit. I talked to the owner and he does remember talking to a man fitting Schaffer's description, from a while back about storing some things in a trailer. He organized it so that the owner would take out yearly plans on the container. So far though he said the bank account called him and told him the account has enough in it for one last payment. Which means that after that payment he is supposed to close the container." George said

"And what happens after the owner of the container decides to close the account?" Jessica asked.

"I think he will pawn off what he can and pitch the rest. But the weirdest thing was that the owner said that Schaffer told him that by the time the money for the rental was up, their would be some sort of government agents coming to claim what is in the container." George said.

Travis and Jessica both looked at George for a minute as they tried to comprehend what he just said. What exactly did George mean when he told them about how Schaffer told him about the feds?

"Where here." George said as the black mustang pulled up to the facility. Their where a total of 40 different containers. The sign on the front said _Store N pay. _The Mustang pulled into the parking lot where a old man in a very old truck stood in front, waiting for his company. The old man smoked the last puff of his cigarette and tossed it to the gravel ground and stepped on it. He wore a NASCAR hat with Tony Stewart on it, He walked over to the Black Mustang as the 3 agents stepped out.

"Welcome to the Store N Pay. You must be them federal fellers." the owner said.

George and Travis both stepped out as Jessica struggled to un buckle her seat belt.

"My name is Agent Dalesman this is Agent Knight, FBI. That is CIA analyst Jessica Hillsabeck." Travis said as Jessica finally emerged from the car.

"Boy that's a mighty fine piece of machine you have their." The Owner said as he looked at the mustang. "Names Dizzy Feldon….the first." Dizzy said as he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you Dizzy. Would you mind answering a few questions about the man who rented this container." Travis asked.

"Oh yeah. Nice guy. Seemed…worried about something, so was his poor wife. Even though she was Prego, she seemed a little ancy. Especially when she was wearing that long baggy trench coat in the middle of the summer." Dizzy said

"She was pregnant? How did you know.?" Travis asked.

"Because she was busy chugging a bottle of water, and she took off the coat, she was showing. Nice looking girl too. don't know much about that their pink hair color she had." Dizzy said.

"Antea." Jessica murmured.

"Anyhow. Mr. Schaffer said he wanted to rent a container under the name Franz Hopper. He said that he wanted to store one box in the container. I laughed at first thinking he was joking, but then I realized he wasn't."

"Did he explain what was in the box?" Travis asked.

"Don't know don't care. I have never asked what peoples been storing in these things. One time I had a group of college kids stay in their. Then I had some military guys store their equipment for a training exercise they had. And then.." Dizzy continued.

"Ok wait, getting back to the topic at hand. What happened next?" George asked.

"He talked about he wanted to establish a long term payment plan? Why did you go through with that?" Travis asked.

"Because he said he would pay double the rate a month. And pay a year in advance. He set up for the money to be deposited into ma checking account…not sure how that all works out. But it worked just fine for me." Dizzy said as he handed the agents a bank statement.

"Has any other person asked about the container?" George asked.

"Naw man. Not a soul. Come to think of it, I never saw those poor folks again…dam shame." Dizzy said, "Are they ok?"

"Well were looking for them is why. Did Schaffer say anything else?" Travis asked.

"Well yeah. I thought it was poppy caulk. But he said that by the time the last years rent money is deposited into my account. Some fed fellers would stop by and ask about the container. He said I should let them have what's inside the container. I thought it was crazy to until you called me a week ago." Dizzy said as he popped another cigarette into his mouth."

"Ok well why don't you go ahead and lead us to the container." Travis said.

"Well time like this I do need a warrant but since the client said differently, il let you in" Dizzy said as he walked towards the third row container set. The 3 agents followed behind as Dizzy counted off the container numbers

"304, 305, 306, 307. Right her it is. Luck number 308. Only take a second pardoners." Dizzy said as he pulled out a large set of keys and began to flip through them. He pulled out one key and fitted it into the pad lock. He turned the key as the tumblers inside the lock flipped and the lock itself opened. Dizzy then opened the container. George pulled out his flashlight and flipped it on. He then pointed it inside the container, the light peered through the darkness as it flashed its light upon…nothing. Their was nothing in the container.

"Is this some kind of joke Mr. Feldon?" George asked. Dizzy didn't answer. He merely walked inside the container and walked to the very back. Dizzy picked up a envelope and walked back to the agents, he handed it to Travis.

"This is it." Dizzy said.

"This? This is what they wanted to store?" Jessica asked as she pointed at it.

"Funny thing aren't it. Guy must have been totally off his rocker to only store a envelope. But it doesn't matter to me. With that money I gots me some NASCAR tickets." Dizzy said.

Travis opened the envelope and looked at it, On it was a address. Travis looked at the address for a few seconds. He then realized their was another number on it.

"113 east main. Section 20. What the hell is that?" Travis murmured to Jessica. Jessica walked back to her car and pulled out her notebook, she typed in the address to Google maps and came up with a answer.

"it's the local Library, the next little hint must be their." Jessica said as she closed the notebook. Travis walked back and pulled George aside and told him what they found.

"Well thank you for you time Mr. Feldon. We appreciate your cooperation." George said.

"Well could you at least let me know what happens to that poor couple? They where nice folks. Hate to seen them in some sort of trouble." Dizzy asked.

The 3 agents got into the car and pulled away as Dizzy looked the door to container.

"Now if this isn't a crook. This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen, even weirder then when I saw Elvis at the gas station."

______________________________________________________________________________

The Library sat in the middle of town. It was a large tan colored building, with the classic library feel to it. It had a set of large stone columns in the front. There was also a pair of lion statues in the front of the building. There were a set of maple trees in the front as well. The Black Mustang drove up to the parking lot. The three agents stepped out of the car as George looked at the doors with the alarm. Jessica carried her laptop inside the library as Travis and George followed her in. The Library had three floors. The main floor consisted of several large tables and the help desk in the corner.

"Ok so what are we looking for? All that tape said was the address, that's it." George said.

"Well actually, there was another clue on it. It said Section 20. Which might mean a shelf or section, so what we should do is spilt up and search the entire area from top to bottom." Jessica said "I'm goanna stay here and review the CDs. Let me know if you find anything."

"Well do we even know what we are looking for?" George asked. "The tape never showed anything other than the address and the section it's in."

"Look for anything like Alice in Wonderland, Hansel and Gretel." Jessica said as she opened the laptop. "Go ahead; I'll call you if I notice something.

"Wait a minute! Why are you barking orders? We're in charge!" Travis asked.

"Because without me, you two would run around like a pair of chickens with your heads cut off anyways."

Travis shook his head as he and George walked off in separate directions. George went to the 3rd floor, which was mostly history and biographies. Travis's section was mostly fiction. There were a few people on the top floor. They were reading or working on some research papers for school. Travis counted down the section numbers and rows and came to row 20. He walked down the isle and began looking around for anything that looked suspicious. He noticed an old book he had when he was a kid. He pulled it out and looked at the title. Peter Pan.

It slowly started to bring back a flood of memories. He remembered moving into their new house with her. Lying in bed next to her, watching her sleep. He remembered the day she broke the news to him, and the noise he heard following the hospital visit.

Travis was startled by the sound of his phone ringing. He picked it up to see he received a text message from Jessica, asking if he had found anything. He typed in no. After a few seconds he got a reply asking him to meet her and George at the main hall.

Travis walked down towards Jessica's table; she had her headphones on. Travis saw George come into view out of the corner of his eye and slam his hand on the table next to Jessica. Jessica shrieked in fear as the whole library got quiet and stared at them.

"Are you out of your frikin mind!?!?!? I almost had a heart attack." Jessica barked as the librarian shushed them.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." George said with a sarcastic look on his face, "Well I found out were that text message came from." George said.

"Where is that?" Travis asked.

" Amiens France . The tech boys were able to triangulate the signal back to that area, and towards a local boarding school in that area." George said as he put a piece of gum in his mouth.

" FRANCE !!!" Travis said firmly, only to receive another shush from the librarian.

"So do we want to investigate the phone call?" Jessica said.

"Let's see what this turns up, what have you found?" Travis asked.

Jessica slowly turned her head to face Travis. Her eyes were attempting to hide her worry that Travis would be upset with her findings. "Nothing."

Travis stared at Jessica for a minute. "What do you mean nothing?"

"I looked through most of the videos. And there was no sign of any possible hint for this area. Almost none at all." Jessica said as Travis stared at a picture of the library layout. It was laid out much like a regular library. But soon he noticed something. And he thought about what it might be he was looking at.

"Well there was nothing on my side of the library. What about your end Travis?" George said as he turned and looked at Travis. Travis didn't answer at all. He kept looking at the library layout picture. "Travis? What's wrong?"

"It's not inside the library." Travis said as he turned to face Jessica and George. "It's outside of the library."

Jessica slowly stood up as George stared at Travis. "What do you mean? It's outside?" Jessica asked "You mean it's not at the library?"

Travis stared at the picture as he walked over to it. He looked at the librarian as he waved his teammates over to him. "Look. Section 20. It's not a shelf. Or a section. It's a panel outside, a brick. The next clue is hidden inside a brick outside." Travis said.

"You mean it's inside a brick? Or behind the brick?" George replied in disbelief.

"I don't know. All we have to do is go outside and check every brick for something that looks different. Maybe a different color or one that has some kinda crack." Travis said as he pointed to the areas of the library.

"Well is it on the right? Or the left of the library wall?" Jessica asked as she also pointed at the different sections of the wall. "Maybe we should split up and check each section of the library."

"Agreed, but what if its up on the top floor or something?" George asked.

"We'll deal with it then, right now let's get looking for that brick." Jessica suggested as the three spilt up. Travis walked outside and walked left, while George stepped outside and walked to his right. Jessica walked back to the table and shut the laptop and walked out to join George.

The outside of the library was surrounded by bushes and flowers. Whoever their gardener was, they had it amazingly well kept. The person deserved a raise. There were rose bushes and other varieties of flowers. Travis stepped behind a bush, making sure not to ruin his suit. He got down on his hands and feet when he heard a little girl speak out loud.

"Mommy. That man is hiding." The little girl said.

"Now Rebecca. It's not polite to point at weirdoes" The mother said as they walked off. Travis slowly stood up in embarrassment. He decided to just eyeball the wall. He looked up to see other people pointing and laughing at him. Travis's face turned a little red as he cleared his throat and went back to searching the wall.

George was feeling along the wall as he counted to 20. He suddenly felt a small lip hanging from one of the bricks. He looked at it and saw that the concrete holding the brick in place had recently been chiseled away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He called Travis and Jessica to meet him on the far left side of the building. Travis turned the corner while Jessica walked up to George.

"Take a look at this." George said as he pointed at the brick. George used his finger to wiggle it. Travis and Jessica both came to the same realization. They needed something big to help knock it out of the way. Travis went back to the car and popped the trunk. He removed the pry bar from the trunk and closed the lid. He walked back while trying to hide the pry bar under his suit jacket. He got back to Jessica and George, who were keeping an eye out for anything that might give them away. Travis pulled out the bar and started trying to chisel away at the brick. Jessica and George tried their best to cover up what they were doing. Travis finally managed to get the large brick to the point where he could remove it. George gave him a hand as they both slowly pulled the large slab from its place. As they held it, Jessica bent down and gazed inside. She saw a black metal suitcase inside. She reached in and pulled it out as George and Travis put the block back in place.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot this time, guys. This feels heavy." Jessica said as she placed the briefcase on the ground and slid the sliders open. She lifted the lid as Travis and George finally heaved the brick back in place. Inside was a series of CDs. They each had the initials W.S. and the New Dawn symbol on it as well. On top of the CDs was an envelope. George picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a small necklace with a locket on the end. The locket was silver with gold stars. George tried to open it, but couldn't get it to budge. Travis looked at the CDs. All the dates matched up to the date when Schaffer went into hiding.

"I think we found the mother load here guys." Travis said as he closed the lid and picked up the suitcase. Jessica and George followed him as they got into the black mustang. As the car pulled off, the agents remained unaware of a small wire-like box hiding next to the rear axel. As the car turned the corner, a Black corvette pulled out behind them as the Mustang pulled out into traffic.

________________________________________________________________________

The movie theater was a little vacant. There were a few empty seats scattered about the theater as couples, families, and a few single people watched the movie. Yumi drank the last of her soda as she watched the hero of the film attempt to save the lead lady from a ghost who was about to drop her off a building. Yumi leaned her head on Ulrich's chest as she felt a little tired. She felt Ulrich's hand brush her hair. She could hear his heart beat. It was actually racing from fear, obviously from the scene that was being shown on the screen. Ever since Yumi knew him, he had always had a hard fear of heights, whenever they were on Lyoko, or whenever they were even in the gym. If it involved him scaling something that was off the ground, or taller than him, he would instantly start to sweat from it. It seemed ever since she had met Ulrich, she was learning something about him every day.

As the movie ended, several members of the audience began to get up and leave. Ulrich and Yumi waited till most of the crowd had left and gave them room to get out.

"So what did you think of the movie?" Ulrich asked as he led her out of the theater.

"It was ok. I mean, a little cheesy at times but ok. I bet you were scared when they were on the roof." Yumi asked as she threw her soda cup in the trash.

"I thought you would notice that." Ulrich said as he held the door open for his girlfriend. She returned the favor with a kiss on the cheek. The large group of moviegoers from their film filled the streets as they left for their different destinations. Yumi and Ulrich slowly walked down the sidewalk as they made their way back to Yumi's house. Yumi was checking her text messages from when they where in the movie.

"I can't believe Odd actually invited Sissi to hang out with the others while we were gone!" Ulrich nearly shouted in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's what Aelita's text message said. Fortunately they finished William's vehicle and all the equipment before she showed up. Apparently things actually went well." Yumi said as she texted her back.

"So does that mean she is in the group?" Ulrich asked as they rounded the bend near Yumi's house. The lights were on, a clear sign that Yumi's parents were home. Yumi walked up to the front door as Ulrich followed after her. Yumi invited Ulrich in for a few minutes. Ulrich agreed.

Yumi entered the doorway of her house. She announced she was home as Ulrich followed her inside.

The Ishiyama house was perhaps one of the best houses in the neighborhood. It was a luxurious two story house with a large bathroom and living room. Yumi's father, Takeo, was a business man who excelled in the Japanese market. While he was in school in Tokyo, he met his love and future wife, Akiko. After he graduated from college, they married and two years later, Akiko gave birth to Yumi, and soon after found work with a Japanese software company. He was later transferred to his company's French section, During the transition, Akiko gave birth to Hiroki. A year after he and his family arrived, he was laid off. But a week later, a French business learned of him and hired him immediately. He soon excelled in his business where he was now a member of the board.

Yumi's mother, Akiko, was usually a stay at home mother. She was a hard working woman who always put the welfare of her family before herself. She had for years been trying to work on an encyclopedia and so far had only finished about half of it. When she met Takeo, at first her parents didn't like him. But they grew to understand him and even accept him as a son in law. At times though their relationship was rocky and had a few moments where they slept in different houses. But soon after, they finally managed to settle everything and decided that they had to work out any problems they would face. Neither parent wanted to face one of their children in tears over what had happened. It had happened once to Takeo when Yumi came to him in tears. After that he had promised to never put Hiroki or Yumi in that position again.

Hiroki was Yumi's younger brother. He was just now in school. He was the usual ten year old pain to every big sister. He teased her, he pestered her, and every once in a while, he would sneak glances into her diary, which would usually end up with Yumi chasing Hiroki around the house to get it back. He did however like Ulrich. He was a cool and calm guy who gave Hiroki advice on how to approach Milly Solovieff. His best friend Johnny had a crush on Yumi originally, but finally gave up on it for someone he knew in his gym class.

Takeo, Yumi's father, was in the kitchen reading the newspaper when Ulrich and Yumi walked in. He didn't notice them till Yumi leaned over and hugged him hello. He was a tall yet chubby person with glasses.

"Hi Yumi, how was your day?" Takeo asked as Yumi opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a soda for her and Ulrich.

"It was good. But the movie we saw was kinda stupid." Yumi said as she handed Ulrich a soda. "Where's mom and Hiroki?"

"Well Hiroki is over at Johnny's. And your mother is in the shower. Are you feeling any better than yesterday?"

"Yes actually I am," Yumi said as she leaned next to Ulrich.

"So how have you been Ulrich?" Yumi's father asked as he sipped from his cup.

"Oh, I've been ok. Just concentrating on school. And so far I have actually been doing well in school. Better than Odd." Ulrich said as Yumi giggled a little.

"That's good. You'll need a good education to find yourself a good job to provide for your future family. Right Yumi?" Yumi's father joked as Yumi's face turned red. Yumi's family had always liked Ulrich. He was polite and always helped out their family when he needed to.

"What about your parents? How are they?" Takeo asked. Ulrich suddenly froze as he tried to think of how to respond to it. Should he lie and say that they're doing great? Or say that he was scared that neither of them had told them a thing.

"Dad, leave Ulrich alone. He just got in here." Yumi said as she wrapped her arm around Ulrich's shoulder. "We're going upstairs to hang out for a minute."

"Okay dear. Keep your door open." Takeo said.

"Oh come on Dad, we're not like that."

Yumi and Ulrich sat on her bed as they talked. Yumi was actually lying on her side while Ulrich was leaning up against the wall.

"Ok your turn. Of all the women who have ever had a crush on you, were there ever any stalkers… beside Sissi?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich looked at her for a few seconds as he thought of his answer. "Well there was this girl named Rose Crolly back in elementary school. She always tried to bad mouth me in front of the other girls, but I do have to say that at one point, Sissi got her to stop. She was weird; she ate glue a lot too." Ulrich said as Yumi made a disgusted look.

"Ok your turn." Yumi said. Ulrich thought for a minute as he thought about the question he had for her. "I have one. But if you don't want to answer that's fine."

Yumi sat up for a minute and looked at Ulrich. "What do you mean?"

"Well ok. Remember that day in the lunch room when we were asking each other about when we wanted to ask each other out and you said you didn't want to because of a bad experience?" Ulrich asked as he tried to remind her.

"Oh." Yumi said as she turned to face the doorway.

"If you don't want to say it that's fine, I understand." Ulrich said. After a long pause that seemed to last forever, Yumi finally spoke.

"I was six. I was in school at Tokyo .It was two years before we moved and Hiroki was born. I knew this kid named Shinji Kusanagi. He was a cute kid. He had short brown hair, short sandy brown hair. We were good friends. We always hung out and played with each other. I slowly started to develop a crush on him." Yumi turned to face Ulrich who was paying attention.

"Then what happened?"

"One day I decided to ask him out. I know I was young, we where naïve but, I didn't know at the time so I asked him. I walked up with a flower and held it out to him. I even remember what I said. I said _Please be my boyfriend._"

Yumi turned around and closed her eyes as she remembered the events that happened.

"Then he grabbed the flower and smashed it saying he doesn't want to date a "I'd rather not date a girl who would rather spend her time sparing in karate than clearing to cook. And that He would never date anyone in a lower class of society then him". He then announced it to every one in our class and by the end of the day everyone in the school knew. While I was walking home, he and his friends cornered me and started to make fun of me. They poked me and slammed my bag on the ground and shoved me. They called me Yucky Yumi. It hurt so bad I ran home and didn't stop till I was in the apartment. I remember I almost got hit by a car on the way. My mother went to school the next day because my father was out of town on business. But I didn't go to school for three days. And when I went back, it was almost the same. I promised myself that day that I would never fall in love again. I never had any friends while in Japan. Then when we moved to France I eventually met you and the others. At first I didn't pay much attention to you. But soon I started day dreaming about you. And that's when Xana attacked. I was afraid to tell you how I felt so I distanced myself from you. But I found out that I couldn't. I loved being with you and, I wanted to tell you so bad that I couldn't. Then came the day we saw _Transformers_. And when you asked me to be your girlfriend. I wanted to cry I was so happy. I should have known you would be nothing like him."

Yumi felt a hand on hers as she turned around to face Ulrich. He had a look of concern for her. She turned around to face him as she sat directly across from him. Finally after what seemed like a eternity of staring at each other, Ulrich leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Yumi was surprised at first. They had always kissed on the cheek. But never the lips. This was truly her first kiss.

Yumi moaned with happiness as Ulrich pulled away finally. His face was a little red. But Yumi's was literally beat red. She was almost embarrassed by it

Yumi lay down on the bed, also trying to hide her face. Ulrich slowly lay down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her as she positioned herself to lie next to him.

As the two cuddled for a few minutes, a thought came to Ulrich. In the corner was a large stuffed purple animal. It looked like a stuffed cat. Ulrich chuckled a little which got Yumi's attention.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just realized your stuffed cat resembles someone on Lyoko."


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 19 **_

_**Rise of the Titans **_

_**The gym was hot and stagnant. There was no air circulating in the room, making it a literal sweat shop. The students in the class were already panting from the heat. There were however two large industrial fans on the floor pointed towards the middle of the room. They felt good up close. At the other end of the room, they were barely noticeable. **_

_**Odd was sweating so hard that he could barely see anything. He stood next to Ulrich who wasn't letting the heat get to him. He was hot, yeah, but he knew that he would sweat more if he thought about it. Mind over matter. **_

_**Jeremy was literally about to keel over. He was wearing his usual gray sweat shirt and pants. He constantly removed his eyeglasses in order to wipe the sweat off them. He glanced over at Aelita and was instantly shocked. **_

_**She wasn't sweating at all. She didn't even look hot. She stood there looking around the room waiting for Jim to show up and start their class. She glanced at the other students who were either sitting on the ground or were standing. None of them were allowed to touch the fan due to the cost of running them was so high; they had been set to low. Odd was seriously tempted to turn them on high real quick and just collapse in front of it. **_

"_**Are you feeling alright Jeremy?" Aelita asked as she caught a glance at him. "Your face is literally beat red." **_

"_**No I'm good. What about you?" Jeremy said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. **_

"_**I'm used to this kinda weather. I jog every night before lights out so this doesn't really affect me," she replied. **_

"_**You asked Sissi to hang out with you guys last night?" Ulrich asked in disbelief. **_

"_**Even I'm a little shocked about what I did. But it was hot and she was by herself. It felt wrong to just leave her there," Odd said as he sat down on the ground. **_

_**Ulrich looked at Odd for a few minutes. It was so out of character for Odd to even be nice to Sissi. Usually he would tease her almost every chance he had. But for Odd to actually be nice to Sissi... it was almost as rare as a solar eclipse. **_

"_**Let me get this straight. You--Odd Della Robbia--were actually nice to Elisabeth Delmas. The self proclaimed Diva of the School. Who the rest of us don't mind**_**, but you refused to even be nice to after we made her our friend. **_**You**_**… were actually nice to her?" Ulrich asked in disbelief. **

**Odd nodded slowly as he shrugged his shoulders. **

"**Ok. Who are you and what have you done with Odd?" Ulrich asked. **

"**Give Odd a break Ulrich, it's not like they made out anything," Jeremy insisted. **

"**ME KISS SISSI?!" Odd asked out loud, "BLECCCH!!!" **

**Ulrich laughed a little as he looked towards the now giggling Jeremy and Aelita. **

"**So any word on Lyoko?" Ulrich asked, trying to keep his voice down so that no one but the four of them could hear. **

"**Well I got William's vehicle all set, and I think I wanna add some minor upgrades to you guys' equipment, seeing as how Xervix is a lot more powerful than Xana was. But I found something on those new sectors," Jeremy said as he removed his eyeglasses and wiped them off. "I found a type of Pyramid in each sector. They must have appeared when the other sectors where created. What's in them I can't tell. Which is why we need to lead an investigation into one of these sectors as soon as possible. I still haven't found out anything on the stuff we got off the computer that he downloaded. But until then we should tread lightly. I still haven't been able to fix the RTTP program." **

"**So if Xervix launches an attack, we can't go back in time?" Odd asked. **

"**Yeah. So until then, we have to be careful that nothing happens," Jeremy said. **

**Ulrich and Odd looked towards each other with a sign of grief. "Why can't these things ever go easy???" Odd whined as he lay on his back. "First the heat. Then Aelita's dream. Then some weird virus shows up and wants to kill us. Now we can't go back in time to stop anything that might happen. What's next?" Odd asked. **

"**Speaking of which, what about your dreams Aelita? Are you still having them?" Ulrich asked. **

"**Yes... to an extent. I have a dream now where Jeremy and I are on a bridge. And Xervix is coming for me. He doesn't kill Jeremy. Instead the bridge collapses and he falls into the water. But I also noticed that I'm holding something." Aelita said. **

**Ulrich and Odd looked towards her as Jeremy put his hand on her shoulder. Jeremy reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He opened it so that Odd and Ulrich could see. The paper showed a strange looking crystal ball. It was perfectly round and had several shimmers in it. There was also a list of colors the crystal glowed. **

**Odd and Ulrich looked at it as they slowly looked up toward Aelita. **

"**I have seen that in my dreams for the past month, and every time I see this thing here. First I saw it in a dream with my mother. Now it's changed to this. Every dream I have involves Jeremy and this thing here." Aelita said. **

**Odd finally decided to break the silence with a usual joke of his. "Why is it girls must dream of jewelry?" Odd joked. **

"**You gotta admit. It's weird looking. So when do we go to Lyoko?" Ulrich asked. **

"**I talked to William and Yumi already. We go tonight. We're gonna check the cave sector first. It's the sector under the Forest region." Jeremy said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. **

"**So we get to play cave men huh?" Odd asked. **

"**The way you smell, you already are one." Ulrich joked. **

"**Oh like you have room to talk. Mister germophobic," Odd snickered. "Whenever you forget to shower one night, you freak out," Odd fired back. **

"**Well what would you expect? Any longer in the presence of your odor and I would probably come down with Oddatosis," Ulrich joked as Aelita and Jeremy laughed. **

"**Side effects of Oddatosis include natural attraction of all ladies and great hair style," Odd said as he touched his hair. **

"**Well Ulrich sure has the ladies part down," Aelita joked. **

**As the four laughed, Jim finally made his way into the gym. He was a big guy who was wearing a red jump suit and blue nylon pants. He also wore a sweat band. He was technically a gym teacher, but he was also a campus advisor and stayed on the floor with the boys dorms. He kept an eye on the students and was usually the first one to speak up when it looked as though trouble was brewing. Some of the students liked him, while others tended to make fun of him behind his back. The biggest issue with Jim Morales was that his past was an enigma. He would ramble on and on about some random topic. And when someone finally asked him something else about it, he would reply in the usual "I'd rather not talk about it" manner. **

"**Uh oh. Here comes Big Chin Jim," Odd said as the gym class lined up against the wall. The entire class got in alphabetical order as Jim began to take role call. Jeremy stood next to Odd since there was no one whose last name began with C. Odd glanced down towards the front of the line to see Tanell standing there. She wasn't even dressed in her gym clothes. She was sitting over in the corner, texting on her phone. "Why isn't she dressed? Little Miss Broad Teeth can't do anything?" Odd asked as Jeremy snickered. **

"**Odd. Can I ask you a question?" Jeremy asked as Odd looked to him. **

"**You want to ask me for an answer to a question?" Odd asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Who are you and what have you done with Jeremy Belpois?" Odd asked. **

**Jeremy gave Odd a sarcastic look until Odd finally asked what his question was. "Well how do you usually ask a girl out?" Jeremy asked. **

"**Well usually what I do is I get to know the girl, and if she seems interested or seems nice enough, then I move in for the kill," Odd said as he shook his fist. **

**Jeremy looked towards the end of the line where Aelita and Ulrich were standing in line and talking. "What are some signs that someone's interested in you?" Jeremy asked. **

"**Well. If they talk to you a lot. If you're all that is on their mind and if you guys share a lot of interests then that usually means they're interested," Odd said as he leaned back against the wall. **

"**Pretty much Aelita does all that," Odd said. **

"**How did you know I was asking about Aelita?" Jeremy asked. **

"**Because you just told me silly," Odd said with a smile. "Wait. Are you wanting to ask Aelita out?" Odd asked.**

"**Well ever since her dad died, I felt like I had to do something you know. I mean aside from convincing my parents to let her live with us." Jeremy said as he looked down the line to see Ulrich and Aelita laughing at something.**

"**Not to mention them paying for her way of living and such, it must be nice to have rich parents." Odd added.**

"**They did that themselves when I told them she was a orphan. The point is, I just think, Aelita and I have a lot in common and…." Jeremy started to explain as his face turned even redder from the heat.**

**Odd nuged Jeremy a little bit as he smiled. "Jeremy my friend….just ask her, besides you shouldn't talk to me for advice, I get shot down a lot anyways." Odd said as Jeremy smiled. **

**Suddenly there was a loud bellow in front of Odd. He turned fast to see Jim standing there with his hands folded. **

"**Is there something you want to add Della Robbia?" Jim asked. **

"**Yeah Jim, it's too hot for anything. Can't we just take it easy for once?" Odd asked with a pleading look on his face. **

"**Aww you bunch of wimps. This weather is nothing compared to when I was a jungle guide in Africa . I led tourists up and down the savanna, at temperatures way higher than this." **

"**You were a tour guy in Africa Jim?" One of the classmates, Theo asked. **

**Jim suddenly paused as he had a look of puzzlement on his face. "I'd rather not talk about it," to which the whole class laughed. **

"**All right, Principal Delmas has suggested that because of the heat, we take it easy today. So today we are just going to go outside and play some soccer," Jim said as he passed out some red and blue pennies. "Same teams as always. And since Miss Delmas and Miss Anders will be unable to attend today, we have even teams," Jim said with a smile as the class made their way out to the soccer field. **

"**I hadn't even noticed that Sissi wasn't here. I wonder where she is?" Aelita asked. **

"**I know. It was on this day years ago her mother died." Ulrich said. **

"**I had no idea her mother died. How did she die?" Odd asked. **

"**I think if I recall correctly, it was a car accident. It was when Sissi was five. And she missed school for like three days," Ulrich said as they made their way out to the soccer field. **

"**So Jeremy what position are you?" Aelita asked. **

"**The one position I hate the most. Goalie." **

**________________________________________________________________________ **

**In the volcano sector, Xervix viewed several holo screens. They were the designs of his new monster army to accompany his current monsters. Two Sentries stood at the opposite end of the room as the former clone of William and an unknown figure entered the room. Xervix noticed his two new monsters approaching. The figure wore a silver armor suit. On the sides of its arms and legs where what looked wing like fins on the sides of its elbows and knees. His hair was yellow, and he wore a helmet with a large curved blade on it. He also had a beak like structure around his mouth. **

**They both approached Xervix and kneeled. **

"**They will be coming tonight. They will learn of the map. When that happens, I will retrieve the map from the girl. You two will distract the others. We need the DNA scans from the other three to complete the other Titans. …Tartarus," Xervix growled as his eyes glowed red. **

"**Yes Master," the former William clone answered. **

"**Dispose of William. Then when the time comes, help Aether dispose of the other three. Leave Aelita to me." Xervix commanded. **

"**I will obey sir." Tartarus bowed as he got up. **

"**Aether," Xervix called the man in the Shinning white samurai like armor. "Make sure the Scyphozoa gets the DNA scans from the original three," Xervix said as he pointed. **

"**Yes boss. I live to serve you Lord Xervix," Aether proclaimed. **

**The two got up and walked out. Xervix had created Aether shortly after he created Tartarus. And there were still others in the works. They were individual A.I.s used from the copied code of Xervix and the remains of Xana's code that was stored in a few monsters. **

**Xervix knew that time was short. He knew that Mal-tech would soon discover their location. So he devised a plan to keep them off his tail. So far it had worked, but it wouldn't work for long. **

**Xervix watched as some of his new monsters materialized in various parts. He was setting up his pawns for their game. A game between him and the kids. **

"**And once more, we play our little game. A game of chess. Only unlike Xana, I won't go into checkmate." **

**William and Yumi sat in their fourth hour math class. They were in the middle of a math test on Advanced Algebra. They were half way through when they both got a text from Jeremy, saying that they should meet at the factory after class. Yumi glanced across the room to see if William got the message. He stared up and nodded his head in agreement. Yumi glanced at the clock on the wall. They would have to skip lunch, and it would be hard skipping classes again to fight Xervix. But they had no choice, if no one fought this new threat. What would happen to the world with a new monster on the loose?**

**William finished his test, but he had been thinking. Between getting the text message and the time he finished the test, he had been thinking of the new issue that had arrived. He was worried. Would he mess up again like last time? Or would he regain his honor that Xana took from him? More importantly, how would he handle being back on the team? Was he over Yumi? Or was she still on his mind? He didn't think so, but he would envy Ulrich every once in a while. But then again, he liked Ulrich and Yumi. He just didn't like Yumi in that way anymore. Or did he? **

**As the students left the classroom, Yumi caught up with William and started walking beside him. **

"**So how do you think you did on the test?" Yumi asked. **

"**Uh. Taking a note from Jim. I'd rather not talk about it." Will said as he hung his head in shame. **

**Yumi smiled a little as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Should have studied then. So did you get Jeremy's text message?" Yumi asked. **

**William shook his head. He moved to the left to avoid a student running down the hall at almost lighting speed. "Think he wants to explore those new sectors?" William asked. **

"**More than likely. I'm sure he wants to stop Xervix quickly so that we don't have to worry about him this summer," Yumi said. "Speaking of which, You ready for drivers ed?" the young Asian asked. **

"**Kinda. My father let me back the car down the driveway a few times but I never really drove. What about you?" William asked. **

"**My mom let me drive a few times. But not too far. Mostly up and down the street." **

**William and Yumi walked outside. The weather was warm, a slight relief from the high scorching temperatures from an hour ago. The humidity wasn't as bad either. Yumi remembered when the temperature rose to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. She remembered when the group decided to go to the pool and try and cool off. She also remembered how the pool was packed with other students. They just sat over in the corner and talked. After a few hours they thought the temperature was cool enough to outside. Only to find the temperature had only dropped one degree. Odd was so tempted to go back to the pool and live there until the heat died down. But the heat wave has lasted five weeks. At least now it was getting a little cooler then previous weeks. **

**William followed Yumi over to the vending machines where Odd and Ulrich were already standing next to one. Usually when Yumi had William with her, it pissed him off. But ever since they started dating and William became friends with the group, it didn't bother him. Much. **

"**So how was the test?" Odd asked. **

"**Like I told Yumi, I'd rather not talk about it," William said. **

"**Ditto here. I'll settle for a C," Yumi said as she walked over and kissed Ulrich on the lips. **

"**Hey! Since when did you two get so close?" Odd asked, "I haven't seen you two this close since the pool incident." **

"**Dammit Odd. Don't bring that up!" Yumi and Ulrich barked at the same time. Odd hid behind William as Will looked a little puzzled about what they said. **

"**Pool incident? You mean when Jim gave you C.P.R.?" William asked. **

"**No not that. It was when Yumi..." Odd started before both Yumi and Ulrich shouted his name so loud that everyone around them heard them. **

**Tanell stared at Ulrich. How could the best thing since Leonardo Decaprio date someone who looked so trashy? He was so cute. So handsome. So thin and fit. And she was like some Goth looking Godzilla. Her hair was so short that it was trashy. And she always wore black. Why? Why did he love her? Tanell knew that she had to make him hers. By any means necessary. **

"**So where are Mr. and Miss Einstein at?" Yumi said as she dug around in her pocket to find some change for her a soda. **

"**Aelita had some weird experience in soccer. They're in the nurse's office," Odd said. **

"**What happened?" **

**__________________________________________________________________________**

**The soccer field was filled with six different games playing at the same time, side by side. Odd, Ulrich and Aelita were on the field with Jeremy as the goalie. They were playing against Victoria, Romian, and Paul, with Taelia as their goalie. **

**Taelia once almost accidentally destroyed the Lyoko team. Jeremy mistook her for Aelita, believing she had managed to escape the supercomputer. But as it turned out she hadn't. Taelia informed Principal Delmas of the supercomputer, but that was undone by a return trip to the past. She looked similar to Aelita. Only when the two finally met, they both didn't see the resemblance. Aelita noted that her ears were bigger than Taelia's. And Taelia said that her chin was bigger and her head smaller. She actually liked the crew. She once dated Odd for a record breaking five days. The longest time Odd ever had ever had a girl (unless he counted Samantha). Until she found out that Odd was also dating Kate. The result was perhaps the loudest slap any of them had ever heard. Odd's face was red for a record breaking ten days. **

**Romian kicked the ball down the field as Odd received it. He kicked it along and passed it to Ulrich. Ulrich caught the ball and ran with it. Aelita ran beside him as Paul caught up with them. Aelita tried to block him but he slipped by her and sidestepped Ulrich. He tripped and fell as Paul turned around and kicked the ball down the field to Victoria. **

**Victoria kicked the ball all the way to the goal where Jeremy stood. Jeremy had a tough look on his face. He wasn't going to let the ball past him. He squinted his eyes as Victoria kicked the ball to him. The ball hit him square in the gut as he flew backward and slammed into the ground. Sure Jeremy was tough. But he was light as a piece of paper. And his skin color matched to. **

**Ten minutes later, the score was nine to nine. The two groups were huddling together to plan for their hopeful victory. Jeremy's face was beet red from all the running and guarding. It was the most he had worked out since… since he could remember. **

"**Ok. Ulrich you go down the middle, Aelita you go right. And I'll go left with the ball and kick it to Ulrich. When you get close to the goal, pass it to Aelita. Then it's all up to you pinky," Odd joked as Jeremy coughed. **

"**Fine just keep that ball away from me," Jeremy said. **

**Odd kicked the ball down the field and the team played out as they had planned. Aelita was running fine until she suddenly felt something weird. Her head suddenly felt like there was a vice grip on it. Her body felt weak. Then suddenly it felt like something was pumping through her body. She felt herself getting a little lighter. She went from feeling tired and weak to the best she had ever felt. Then she noticed something. Everything seemed more… focused. She could see a couple flies flying in the air. The sweat on Jeremy's forehead. She could see Odd's hair sway as he ran, and the spit from Jim's whistle as he blew it. Then she saw something behind her. Victoria was running behind her. She was going to make a run towards Ulrich and intercept the ball. Aelita quickly leaped in front of her and ran up near Ulrich. Ulrich never even got a chance to see her when she practically stole the ball from him. Ulrich suddenly stopped dead when he realized what had just happened. **

"**Was that… Aelita?" he asked himself. **

**Aelita ran past Paul and kicked the ball into the goal. Taelia attempted to block it, but the ball swayed a little ways out of her reach and scored a goal. Aelita jumped in the air as she celebrated. She turned to see most of the kids on her side of the field shocked. **

"**Aelita…. How in the hell?" Odd said in with his mouth dangling. **

**Aelita played back what she had done. She realized exactly what she did and what had happened. She realized that she had never been that agile before. **

"**Uhhhh I don't know," Aelita sputtered, "I had no idea that…" **

"**What, that you're a Power Ranger?" Taelia said as she walked up to her. **

**The class went inside to the locker room to change and shower. Jeremy walked up next to her and looked at her. "Are you feeling ok?" Jeremy asked. **

"**I feel great. Better than I have for some time." Aelita said with a smile. **

"**Your not taking steroids, are you?" Jeremy joked as Aelita slugged his shoulder lightly. **

**Aelita stood in the shower as she let the water trickle down the drain. Her muscles were still tense and she still felt this… feeling. As she finished rising herself, she shut off the water and stepped out. As soon as she stepped out she started to feel a little tired. Her body was shaking. She felt light headed. Taelia walked out of the shower and noticed Aelita leaning in the door way of the shower stall. She didn't notice her shaking. **

"**I gotta admit Aelita. When I saw you move today, I was impressed. That jogging has worked out greatly for you." Taelia turned to see Aelita slowly making her way out of the stall. She was shivering and she looked pale. **

"**Are you ok?" Taelia said as she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. She grabbed another towel and wrapped it around Aelita. **

**The room started to spin as she felt weak. "Je… Je… Jeremy," Aelita whispered as she fell over. Taelia caught her before she hit the ground. Victoria walked in, attempting to get ready for her shower when she saw Aelita fall. **

"**Is she ok?" Victoria asked. **

"**Get Jim… get Yolanda. Hurry!!!!" Taelia said as she waved to Victoria. Victoria ran out into the hallway and got Jim's attention. Odd had stepped out of the locker room. Ulrich and Jeremy were still changing when they heard of what happened. **

"**Then they dressed her and brought in a stretcher. But ole Iron Man Jim lifted Aelita and made his way to the infirmary. Jeremy was right behind him," Odd said. **

"**Is she ok?" William asked. **

"**After she got to the infirmary she woke up. Yolanda said she might have suffered from a form of heat exhaustion. From all the running. And the shower cooled her down to the point where she suffered from a body shock." Ulrich said as he bought Yumi and himself a soda. "Jeremy was worried Xervix had finally launched an attack so he launched the super scan and nothing. I'm not sure he is gonna let her go to Lyoko tonight." **

**As William looked around, he finally spotted Jeremy and Aelita making their way to the group. Jeremy was walking behind Aelita who surprisingly, after her exhaustion ordeal, looked just fine. She was taking sips out of a bottle of water when she approached the group. **

"**Hey, look who's back from the dead," Odd joked as the rest of the group noticed the two computer geeks standing next to Odd. "How are you feeling Princess?" **

"**A lot better. I'm not sure what it was that hit me. The nurse said it was heat exhaustion, but I'm not sure," Aelita said as she threw her bottle of water away. **

"**So what did it feel like?" Ulrich asked. **

"**At first I felt like everything was in perspective. Like I knew everything that was gonna happen and anything before it happened. And when I was in the shower, it felt like I was in a freezer or something." **

"**Well at least you're feeling better though. You scared me to death during all of that," Jeremy said as he pulled out his laptop. **

"**I'm sorry," Aelita said as she bowed her head. "It seems like this past week I have been useless. I've been sick or plagued with nightmares. I'm just worthless," Aelita said as she raised her head up. **

**Jeremy walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "You're not as fragile as you think Aelita. There's been many times when you were strong and brave. You practically saved my life on more than one occasion. You've just been having a hard time is all. Everyone does. And it's not like this Xervix thing and these nightmares are your fault. We should have made sure Xana really was dead before we shut off the supercomputer." **

**Aelita looked at Jeremy for a minute and thought about what he said. It made her feel a little better. Enough for her to smile. "Thanks Jeremy" **

"**Ever notice how Jeremy is like Link from Legend of Zelda? And Aelita is Zelda?" Odd mentioned quietly to William, Yumi, and Ulrich. **

"**So what does that make you?" Yumi asked. **

"**Me? I'm Star Fox. Ace pilot and fighter. Ulrich can be Mario." **

"**Why the heck am I a plumber with a speech impediment?" Ulrich asked. **

"**It's either that or Donkey Kong," Odd joked, "Yumi is Samus and William is…." **

**Odd looked at William for a minute until he came up with his answer. Before Odd could give his answer William cut him off. **

"**If you say Kirby I'll knock your lights out," William said as he held up his fist. **

"**I was going to say Captain Falcon but hey. Kirby works," Odd joked. **

"**Come on Odd. Fox? You're more like Pikachu," Aelita joked as the whole group burst into laughter. Odd had a look of disbelief on his face. Aelita… burned him? ...Aelita Schaeffer?... He had trained her well. **

"**Ok so what's the deal with tonight?" Ulrich asked. **

"**In order for me to figure out what Xervix is, who made him, and what he wants, we need to go to Lyoko and check out these new sectors. First I figured we could check out the new Cave sector first. It is directly under the forest sector. And the rules we saw in Sector 5 would qualify here. We need to link it to the computer so if you guys are devirtualized, you come to the lab. If not, you guys will turn into stored data on the computer," Jeremy informed them.**

"**Is that what happened to us last time?" Yumi asked. **

"**Yes. The last time when you guys went to sector 5, once you were devirtualized you were stored as data in the memory section. The same thing happened to Aelita when we messed up her code and she erased herself. She was stored in the memory section. And the same for William when Xana controlled him." **

"**What about the time you went to the computer and disappeared?" Yumi asked **

"**Yeah I was in the memory section too. But in order to avoid that we need to upload our DNA code into the sub net hub," Jeremy said as he closed his laptop. **

"**We'll go tonight. After dinner. Meet at the factory." **

"**Good. It's lasagna tonight," William said as he picked up his bag. **

"**Yeah we need to get to class. Mr. McFadden is giving a demonstration on DNA today," Ulrich said as Odd and Jeremy followed him to the classroom. **

"**Aelita…wanna go hang out at my house for a minute?" Yumi asked. Aelita nodded and smiled as they turned to leave the campus. **

"**Ok guys," Jeremy said as he turned around and looked at William, Odd, and Ulrich. "Tonight I'm going to ask her." **

"**Ask who?" William asked. **

"**You're serious?!! You're gonna ask her out?" Odd asked with a smile on his face from ear to ear. **

"**She needs some good news. And I feel as though I'm ready," Jeremy said. **

"**All right! Einstein's growing up," Ulrich said as he walked over and patted him on the back. **

"**Ask who," William asked. **

"**Do you think she will say yes?" Jeremy asked with his hands in his pocket. **

"**Jeremy. You're in for a surprise," Odd said as he led Jeremy inside. **

"**Ask who?" William asked. **

"**Aelita. Jeremy is gonna ask Aelita out," Ulrich said. **

**William laughed a little to himself. "Half the school thinks they already are. The other half has a bet going as to who asks who out first," William said as he and Ulrich walked inside. **

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **

**Jeremy was at the computer preparing things for the trip to Lyoko. Ulrich and Odd went with him after class. Aelita ate at Yumi's house and William needed to finish up some things before he could join the others. **

**Aelita and Yumi entered the lab and spotted the others…. But they weren't all they spotted. **

"**What the heck is all this?" Yumi asked pointing at some folding chairs, a cooler, the cot and a table. "Is someone moving in or something?" Yumi said. Aelita suddenly froze with a horrible thought. Had Jeremy finally lost it and was going to move into the lab? **

"**Well on the way over, Odd saw a yard sale and bought these. He bought the chairs and the blankets and pillow for the cot, and the cooler he forced me to fill with soda and water and drag over here. I almost threw my back out," Ulrich said as he tried to stretch his back. **

**Aelita breathed a sigh of relief from the news. "For a second I thought Jeremy was moving in," Aelita joked. **

"**Don't give him any ideas. All he is missing is a microwave and a bath tub," Odd said as he walked over to the table. "That's not all we bought either," Odd added as he held up a bag of golf clubs. **

"**Why on earth would you buy those?" Yumi asked. The bag was dirty and brown. It looked like it had been in someone's garage for years. The clubs themselves were old and rusted. They had a wooden head instead of a metal one. And the wood was a little worn too. **

"**To vent out some frustration. And who knows? Maybe one of us will end up being the next Andre Agassi," Odd said. **

"**Andre Agassi was tennis. This is golf," Ulrich said as he sat in one of the chairs. He brushed it off as well as he could but it was still a dirty little seat. "You should have just went to the store and bought all of this instead of a yard sale. This is just junk." **

"**Hey, it's not junk," Odd grunted back, "it was a bargain." **

"**What's with all the junk?" William asked as he entered the lab through the mechanical vault door. This caused everyone in the lab to burst into laughter. **

"**Ok. I'm almost ready. If you guys want to go down to the scanner room I'll virtualize you in the forest sector. And then transfer you down with the same sphere we use to get into sector 5," Jeremy said. "Remember. If you get devirtualized, you won't come back to earth until we install your DNA into the memory bank. So 'til then be careful," Jeremy said. **

**The five kids agreed as they made their way to the elevator. Jeremy walked over with them and pulled Aelita to the side. "When you get there, if there is any sign of you feeling ill, I'm pulling you back. Deal?" **

"**Deal," Aelita said as she went to the elevator and joined the others. As the elevator went down to the floor, Aelita turned to the others. "If I start to look ill, don't tell Jeremy. He will have enough problems with the mission to worry about me." The others agreed **

**The elevator door opened revealing the scanner room. Odd walked over to the left while Yumi and Aelita walked to the center scanner. The doors to the scanners slowly opened as Aelita and Odd stepped in theirs. Ulrich and William played Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who got the third. William won. William stepped inside the scanner as it closed on him. **

"**So. This is our next date? Going cave diving on Lyoko?" Yumi joked. **

"**Now you don't need to say I don't take you anywhere," he replied. The scanners opened as the two lovebirds stepped inside the booths. Yumi watched out the scanner as Ulrich winked at her. Next thing Yumi knew, her feet were off the ground and she felt the same familiar feeling she felt many times before. **

**Jeremy typed in several commands as the five warriors landed on Lyoko. He taped the headset microphone to see if it was working. "Ok guys, head to the end of the forest sector and I'll send the Transport Orb your way," Jeremy said as he typed in the code "SCIPIO." "I'll tell you what you need to look for when you get there." **

**Xervix sat on his chair in the tower of the volcano sector. He heard them. He heard the silent, digital beating of their young hearts. He opened his eyes and raised his head. **

"**They're back." **

**________________________________________________**

**Here it is CHapter 19before you read, i noticed a lot of people are adding songs to thier fanfics. like songs you should read either before or while you read it. this chapters song will be Paradise lot by symphony xFirst off Yes you read it right, Aelita lives with Jeremy and his parents. and il explain why and how in future , if your wondering what is happening to Aelita, you will have to wait and see. then thier is of course Taliea. she had to come in somewhere didnt she?Odds comments on the gang being Smash Bros i put in because i have had a super smash bros fix latley. And the next sector to visit is the cave sector. where Xervix has sent some...friends to wait for OR IL GRAB A SMASH BALL AND GO AWOL ON YOU!!!!! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 20**

**The Underground**

**The Transfer Sphere rose up from the edge of the forest sector. The gang stood and watched as the bright white ball with the Xana symbol on it. Settled down upon them, and with a white glow; opened up and absorbed them inside it. To the gang it felt like they where in an elevator. Odd however had a bit of a weak stomach, he always felt a little queasy from the ride.**

**The sphere dropped down into the digital sea. It fell for a few minutes until it hit another sector. A large opening in the floor of the sea lead into a tube line entrance that lead to a cave like room. The room had a single beam of light shinning down from the ceiling. The room had a pool of water around it with a single section of land connected to the room's entrance with a single rock like bridge.**

**The sphere landed on the middle platform of the room and vanished, revealing the gang. Odd fell to his hands and knees as he held is stomach.**

"**Oh I forgot this feeling" Odd squealed as he stood up slowly. The gang looked around the cave as they took in the sights. The cave walls looked like a scene from a movie or a video game. The walls were back and brown, with stalactites' hanging from the ceiling. Their where several crystal like structures on the walls as well. And their was also some stalagmites on the ground which held some type of crystal in place. These crystals glowed enough to light up the whole room.**

**The gang looked around in aww as they took in the sights. "OOOO pretty lights." Odd joked as Ulrich stepped off the platform and onto the bridge.**

"**Ok I have the halo map of the sector on. It's huge! It's almost the same size as sector 5. Can you guys give me a visual?" Jeremy asked. Aelita concentrated for a second. A video screen opened up on Jeremy's computer, revealing to him the entire room. "Incredible! It looks even better then the other sectors."**

**The gang walked across the bridge and into the next room. The room didn't have an opening in the ceiling like the last room. The ceiling glowed Blue with several large crystal's hanging from the roof. Each the size of a car. The floor was laid out like the forest sector. With winding Path's leading to various other area's. Only these paths were actually wide and opened unlike the forest sector. The walls where Granite colored **

**With the occasional root pattern. On the floor their where stalagmites and the occasional mound of dirt with a type of glowing moss on it. The paths where aligned with several random mushrooms and other fungus like plants. The 5 teenagers took in the sites with several Oh's and Awe's. Yumi Whistled at the size and sites of the room. William walked over and touched one of the crystals that where giving off light. It rippled as he touched it. It reminded him of water. Aelita panned around as she continued to show Jeremy the sites from the video link. Jeremy was amazed by the size and majesty of the sector. If there was ever a time he wanted to go to Lyoko. Now was that time.**

**William walked towards the edge of the path they where on and looked down towards the bottom. Unlike the other sectors this apparently had a bottom. A river even ran through the bottom sector. **

"**Ok guys. I got a good look at the map and it looks like the cave sector has about 7 towers and the Pyramid I mentioned earlier. In order to input your Virtual DNA so you can devirtualize and arrive on earth. You need to go to one of those towers. Once their, Aelita will input your DNA so that you guys are all set" Jeremy said as he clicked on the closets tower near them. "But be careful. Xervix might already know you guys are there. And the last thing I think you guys need is to run into him again."**

**The words from Jeremy's mouth made the team shutter from the thought of another Xervix fight. "Last thing I need to see is that Wired looking…..Demon guys face." Odd said. **

"**That made my whole body hurt just from thinking about it." Yumi said. "So Jeremy, how about some new vehicles. I want to see what Williams's ride looks like." **

"**Ten dollars it's a pair of roller blades." Ulrich joked to which the gang giggled.**

"**Sorry guys. Until Aelita can register your DNA on the sectors main frame Hub. I can materialize your vehicles either. So it looks like you guys will have to traverse the area the old fashioned way." Jeremy said.**

"**Well a little exercise never hurt anyone" Yumi joked as she and Aelita began to run down the path with Ulrich and Odd behind them. William covered the rear.**

"**Yeah but it's usually what we run into during the exercise that does." Aelita remarked as the 5 teens ran along the path.**

**The gang continued to take in the sites of the cave as they ran. They where able to get a better look at the river that ran along the bottom of the area. Along with various sparkling colors along the wall. Odd couldn't help but take in the sights.**

"**Reminds me of a level off Metroid Prime or Gears of War" Odd noted as Ulrich nodded.**

"**First Locust that jumps out, I'm looking for a lancer" Ulrich joked**

"**Don't tell me your talking about that stupid 360 game you guys play with Hiroki is you?" Yumi asked. "I don't get the whole underground alien thing."**

"**I've never been into video games as much as every one else has. Theirs some I like but then theirs games like that Halo which is just plain stupid and over ratted. Plus the one that's like the online RPG." William added.**

**Odd looked towards William as he tried to contemplate what William just said.**

"**William. Has it ever occurred to you that you're in a video game styled world right now?" Odd said.**

"**Ok so there is one game I play." William joked.**

"**I've always been more of a Nintendo fan. Jeremy's parents got one of those Wii's. It's pretty fun." Aelita added.**

**Jeremy typed in a series of commands as he listened to the group's discussion. He looked at the map as he suddenly noticed a spit path coming up on their right side.**

"**Sorry to break up the conversation guys but it seems like the path you guys are one splits in two directions. One goes to the tower while the other heads up towards a cliff area over looking the river."**

**The gang finally came to the path Jeremy mentioned. "Well if one path leads to the tower and the other heads towards the river. Lets head to the one with the tower first." Yumi said. **

"**Okay lets head to the tower." Odd said.**

"**Actually I don't need every one to come to the tower with me. I can just link up the tower to the computer terminal at the lab so that Jeremy can download the DNA for each of us in seconds." Aelita said.**

"**So some of us can go and check the river while the rest of us head to the tower. It would also help us with the terrain a little better" Ulrich said as he pointed towards the river. "Ok seeing as how Xervix is after Aelita. William and Odd will go with Aelita to the tower. Yumi and I will go to the river side and check it out cool?" **

"**Cool" the others said simultaneously. **

"**So princess. Your knights in shining armor will escort you to the ball." Odd joked as he bowed his head. Aelita mealy giggled a little as William rolled his eyes at the lame joke. Yumi and Ulrich started sprinting towards the river area. All the while. Two dark figures watched from the shadows.**

**Near the top of the roof to the sector, a large stone perch sat nestled between two stalactites'. From that point, the two watchers prepped their attack.**

"**Il takes the 3 heading towards the tower" One voice said in a deep monotone voice to the other as he stood up from a crouching position. "You can take the two heading towards the river. Remember, we need the purple one, yellow one, and the tall girl in one piece."**

"**I should have known you would want to take on the original Tartarus." Aether replied with a sneer on his face. Aether stretched out his arms as a pair of silver colored lights, shot out from under his arms. These lights suddenly formed a pair of silver wings that extended from under his arms. He jumped off the balcony and flew off into the darkness of the cave's ceiling. Tartarus merely stepped into a darker shadow and slowly melted away from plain view. **

**Aelita, Odd, and William arrived at the tower, the large white; cigarette looking object had sat on a large cliff overlooking a large fungus forest. Which consisted of large towering mushrooms like trees and several layers of moss? Odd and William took a quick look around before Odd entered the tower. Whenever Odd entered a tower, he felt like he was passing through a wall of gell-o. He almost wanted to stick his tongue out and taste it. As he entered the tower, he cocked one of his arm cannons and pointed it around the room. Nothing, the room was clear. Odd stuck on of his arms out of the wall and gave thumbs up. Aelita entered the room next, followed by William. **

**The trio rose to the top floor of the tower. Aelita approached the terminal and pulled up several hollow screens. She flexed her finger tips as she began typing in several commands and pulling up several programs. Back in the lab Jeremy prepared to scan William and Odd's DNA. **

"**Ready guys?" Aelita asked.**

"**This isn't going to hurt is it?" William asked.**

**Suddenly William and Odds feet left the floor as a stream of light surrounded them. And engulfed them with a bluish light ring. As soon as it began the light faded and the two boys found themselves standing on the floor again.**

"**You tell me." Aelita joked as she prepared to transfer Ulrich and Yumi's DNA.**

"**Wait a minute. Don't Ulrich and Yumi need to be in the tower for them to get scanned?" Odd asked.**

"**I don't need to. Aelita is accessing the super computer's DNA reader, which allows you to enter Lyoko and gain your abilities." Jeremy said as he finished prepping for Ulrich and Yumi's turn. "Ulrich, Yumi. Were ready to download your DNA to the Sectors mainframe. Are you ready?" Jeremy asked.**

**Ulrich and Yumi both came to a stop as they looked around the area they were at. After giving the area a clean sweep, they looked at each other and nodded.**

"**Were ready Jeremy." Yumi replied.**

**The same action that happened to Odd and William happened to Ulrich and Yumi. Their feet left the ground as a ring of light moved up and down their bodies. After they landed, the light flew at tremendous speeds to the tower and entered the tower through the ceiling. The light hit the center of the floor and was read by the computer. Accepting Ulrich and Yumi's DNA.**

"**Ok that's everyone." Aelita said.**

"**Wait a minute. What about you?" William asked.**

**Aelita walked to the center of the room and stood in the middle. Her feet left the platform as she rose in the air. The same ring that scanned the others appeared above her and moved up and down as it scanned her DNA. As the light faded, Aelita slowly descended to the ground. She opened her eyes and Smiled towards William.**

"**You're all set Aelita." Jeremy said over the intercom.**

"**Thank you Jeremy."**

"**Don't worry. You'll know the answer to questions like that soon enough." Odd said as he elbowed William **

**William rubbed the back of his head as he realized what had just happened. "I should have seen that coming shouldn't I?" The tall boy said.**

"**Heck any one with glasses could have seen that. No offense Jeremy." Odd remarked.**

"**None taken Odd. But I got a kind of issue here. Their appears to be a few monsters in your area. You better go out and regroup with Ulrich and Yumi." Jeremy said**

"**Have you told Yumi and Ulrich?" Aelita asked.**

"**I just did. Head back to the fork in the road and meet them there. It's time to investigate that pyramid."**

**The 3 warriors landed on the lower platform and made their way outside. Jeremy monitored them from the lab as he scratched the back of his neck; the new sweater his mother got him was still scratchy. His mother had sent him a new turtle neck to replace the old brown one that was thrown away when he was cut by the shard of glass. This sweater was of course…Blue. With a light blue arrow like design pointing downwards. The arrow stretched around the front and back. The others liked it because Jeremy actually looked good in it. Yet they said that if he got rid of the khaki pants and got some jeans that he would look a lot better.**

**William and Odd stepped outside first, followed by Aelita. Once they stepped outside, they noticed a figure standing just outside near the tower's entrance. It wore a black hood with metallic armor on his chest. It was primarily black with hints of red along its sides and near its chest It looked like a pair of snakes wrapping around the Xana symbol, on his hands where spiked gauntlets and on his ankles where the same spikes, sitting on top of his metal boots, which where black with hints of red.**

**Behind the figure where 4 sentry's and 2 tarantula's. Behind them were a Defender and a Scyphozoa. Aelita's heart froze as she heard the squid like monster growl and moan as it hovered in the back ground.**

**Odd and William stood in front of Aelita. William reached around his back and pulled out his sword, Odd cocked one of his arm cannons and pointed it straight at the figure.**

"**So...Xervix was it. Back for round 2? Where the points double and the score get higher?" Odd asked. **

**The figure just stood and watched.**

"**So do you want what's behind door number 1." Odd asked.**

"**Or door number 2?" William asked. In the back ground Aelita held up her hand as a pink glow emitted from it.**

"**That face…that was once mine." The figure said . "That voice, those eyes. That was once mine. I was once Human. Or I thought I was."**

**Odd and the others looked at each other for a minute. Jeremy was paying close attention to the figure as he tracked Yumi and Ulrich at the river. They had gotten a little lost and where looking for an exit to get back to the fork.**

"**Ulrich, Yumi. Aelita and the others have a problem. There is a small army of monsters standing in front of the tower. You need to get back there as fast as possible." Jeremy said.**

**Ulrich and Yumi where standing on a hill overlooking the river. Next to them a giant mushroom glowed yellow as the two teens began to run even faster back to the tower. **

"**We copy Jeremy, where on our way." Yumi said.**

**Ulrich suddenly noticed something moving beneath the surface of the ground. Ulrich quickly grabbed Yumi's hand and pulled her to a stop. **

"**What are you doing?" Yumi asked as her voice was a little high from the running.**

"**Look" Ulrich said as a large bump appeared a few feet in front of them. The ground suddenly shook as a large crack ran across the ground.**

"**Jeremy! Are you seeing this?" Ulrich asked as he drew his swords.**

**Jeremy noticed the area where some kind of hole was beginning to appear. Suddenly the hole filled up with several dots."**

"**Ulrich, Yumi. Look out! It's an ambush!"**

**Suddenly the hole burst open, revealing a large drill like instrument came out of it, along with two long pink legs. And a capsule like body.**

"**The Kalamar!!!!" Ulrich shouted as Yumi drew her fans. The Kalamar stepped out of the hole along with 3 sentries' and a Scyphozoa. **

**As Ulrich and Yumi prepared to defend their position they realized the monsters where standing out of position, they weren't attacking or anything. **

"**Why are they just standing there?" Yumi asked. Yumi noticed a strange noise coming from behind, it sounded like flapping. She turned around in time to see a shadow flying straight at them.**

"**GET DOWN!!!!!!!" Yumi shouted as she tackled Ulrich to the ground. The shadow flew right into the direction they were standing at. As it came into the light it shimmered and glowed a silver color, it landed right next to the newly arrived army and folded his wings under his arms.**

"**Expecting someone else?" The silver armored figure said as the wings retracted from his arms. It stood in front of the monster army and stared at the couple. Ulrich pulled out both his blades as Yumi crouched down low to the ground and prepared to throw one of her fans at the monster.**

"**Who are you?" Ulrich demanded.**

**The monster slowly raised his hand in the air as he dangled his fingers in the air. "Do you feel it? It's there. Drifting slowly. The sky, the sky of our lives."**

**The monster suddenly leapt into the air and landed on the kalamar's head.**

"**It's the same sky that has existed for many years. It has covered the heads of many creatures. It's witnessed the end of many civilizations. And it will soon witness the end of yours. I am the one who harness's its power. I can control it. I am the sky samurai. I am Aether."**

**Jeremy ran a quick bios can on Aether. He saw that his life points where pretty low. But his agility and stamina gauge was off the charts."**

"**Guys be careful. This Aether guy is extremely agile and fast. Most likely it's for his air speed but still. He may be worse on the ground; I suggest you keep him on the ground to prevent him from flying." Jeremy said**

**Yumi looked square at Aether and stared him right in the eye. "What do you want? Do you want Aelita? Because she isn't here if you noticed."**

"**It's not what I want, it's what I demand. Lord Xervix demands scans of DNA" **

**Aether jumped in the air and landed on the ground with his knee, He slowly looked up and smiled a little. Yumi Pulled out both of her fans as Ulrich readied to attack.**

"**This I hope will hurt you quite a lot. You dirty little land walkers" Aether replied.**

**Suddenly Ulrich felt a whip like strike hit him in the back. He flew towards the nearby wall and slammed into the rock wall. Yumi turned around in time to see the scyphozowa standing behind her. It attempted to warp its tentacles around her. But Yumi managed to toss a fan at it. The fan sliced through one of the squid's tentacles and came back to Yumi like a boomerang. She threw it again at the monster. Only to see a thin orange red laser slice through the fan, slicing it in half. Yumi turned to see Aether's mouth glowing red. Suddenly Yumi felt cold and numb. Her eyes panned around to see the scyphozowa had a hold of her. Its two main tentacles reached out and touched her forehead. She suddenly felt the same sensation she had felt before. The same sensation Aelita had felt several times before. First, everything got quite. Then she felt cold and alone, vulnerable. She felt like there was some kind of stalker or predator watching her. She felt as if every single fear she ever knew or was afraid of had happened. The fear of being alone, losing her family, losing her friends, and more importantly. Losing Ulrich.**

**Jeremy typed in several commands as a screen appeared, revealing Yumi's condition. He noted all brain waves where firing off. But the strangest thing was that the squid wasn't removing any memory from her brain, and it wasn't inserting a virus or any type of harmful object. It seemed to be scanning her DNA. It wasn't removing it. Just scanning it.**

**Ulrich stood up and felt a sudden swell of anger rise inside him. He ran towards the scyphozoan. The two Sentry's started to fire at him; he reflected two shots and jumped over one. He ran towards the nearest sentry and threw out his blade as he ran by it. The sentry jerked a little and looked his way. As it prepared to fire it suddenly split in half and exploded. Ulrich ran over and dropped kicked the second sentry to the ground, he then jumped on top of it and attempted to slice his sword into its chest, the Sentry grabbed the blade and tried to push the sword away from it. But Ulrich shook the blade loose and slammed it into the Sentries chest. Causing it to explode. He then turned his attention to the approaching Kalamar. It raised one of its arms and swung it at him. Ulrich jumped out of the way and cut the kalamars arm off. Ulrich then jumped onto the second arm and ran up its arm to the top. He then jumped high in the air and threw his second sword at the Xana symbol. The Kalamar shifted as the sword missed its mark. Ulrich landed on the ground and ran to grab his sword. He then faced the Kalamar. **

"**Triplicate" Ulrich shouted as he split into 3 Ulrich's. One ran straight towards the Kalamar while the other two ran to its sides. The Kalamar slammed its arm into one of the Ulrich clones. The others swiped at its legs as it teetered over to the ground. As the Kalamar screamed as Ulrich walked up and stabbed it in the Xana eye. Causing it to explode. The two last Ulrich's fused together and turned to face Aether. Who was clapping.**

"**Let her go" Ulrich said in a firm voice.**

**Aether continued to clap. "Bravo comrade. It's true that love is the ultimate weapon….and the ultimate weakness. Love is nothing more than a sick human emotion. So sick that if I could, I would have thrown up by now."**

"**LET HER GO YOU BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!" Ulrich shouted at the top of his lungs.**

**Aether slowly turned and looked at the Scyphozowa as it continued to work its magic on Ulrich's girlfriend.**

"**If you harm one hair on her head, I swear to god himself I will tear you and your boss to pieces."**

**Aether turned to look at Ulrich. "Very well" Aether drew out two long daggers and looked at Ulrich. "You want her? Come get her." Aether said as he pointed one dagger at him.**

**Ulrich ran towards Aether as Aether ran towards him. Aether suddenly jumped into the air and flew towards Ulrich. Ulrich flipped his sword around and held it so the blade pointed towards his left. He jumped in the air and clashed swords with Aether. Aether blocked one sword with his dagger. Ulrich tried to swipe at Aether with the other. Only to find his sword blocked by Aether's helmet.**

**Ulrich landed on the ground as Aether flew around in a circle. He flew back towards Ulrich and aimed right towards the yellow samurai. He opened his mouth as a beam fired towards Ulrich. Ulrich leapt out of the way as the beam chiseled a red hot streak into the floor. Aether pulled up and dive bombed Ulrich. Ulrich Jumped up into the air, close enough to see Aether's face. He punched the monster right in the jaw. Aether tumbled and rolled as he flew into the wall.**

"**Jeremy! How's Yumi?" Ulrich asked as he ran over towards the Scyphozowa. **

"**It's not doing anything to her from what I can see on my angle. But you better hurry. Quick!!!" Jeremy replied **

**Ulrich ran halfway to Yumi when Jeremy yelled at him.**

"**Ulrich Look out!!!"**

**Aether slammed into Ulrich and knocked his swords out of his hands. Ulrich fell to the ground as Aether ran up and grabbed his shoulders. He held Ulrich up and pointed him towards the Squid and Yumi. Ulrich tried to wiggle free but he couldn't. **

"**Just watch the show. It will be all over soon. Then it's your turn."**

**Then suddenly it was over.**

**The scyphozowa realsed Yumi and laid her on the ground. Yumi sighed a little as she tried to recuperate. Her head felt like someone drove a nail through it.**

**Jeremy ran a scan on her. She was fine. Her memory was intact, her DNA in one piece. She checked out ok. Then he realized what was going on. He scrolled over to Aelita's group; they were still under a lot of fire.**

"**Aelita. Ulrich and Yumi are in trouble. There's a scyphozoan and some new monster like warrior attacking them. Yumi was juts released and its Ulrich's turn. I think their making copies of their DNA. As to why I don't know entirely. One of you better gets over there and helps out."**

**A Sentry exploded as Odd shot it 4 times in the chest. William slammed his sword into the ground as He and Aelita took cover behind it. **

"**That's going to be a little hard Jeremy. This Darth Vader guy isn't giving us a chance either." Aelita replied with a sign of distress in her voice.**

"**Next!!!!!" Aether shouted, like a nurse in a doctor's office. He pushed Ulrich towards the scyphozowa. It caught him and lifted him into the air. Ulrich felt the same searing pain and numbness that Yumi had just felt. Aether began to clap quietly. Like a golf clap. **

**Aether slowly turned around and looked at Yumi. "Now for you." **

**Aether slowly approached the still unconscious Yumi.**

"**Yumi wake up!" Jeremy shouted into the microphone. "Yumi please wake up. Ulrich needs you."**

**Yumi continued to lay their unconscious as Ulrich's session began. She slowly started to stir a little as her fingers began to twitch. Her eyes twitched a little. Aether stood over the sleeping ninja and opened his mouth and aimed at Yumi, his mouth glowed as he prepared to fire.**

"**All too easy." Aether said.**

"**YUMI!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy shouted.**

**Yumi suddenly jumped off the ground and flipped in midair as the laser shot hit the point where her head once laid. Yumi landed on her hands and spring boarded into Aether's face. Aether didn't even hit the ground, his wings spread from under his arms and he flew off and landed on a nearby rock. Yumi pulled out her fans and stared right at Aether.**

"**You hurt me. Now Ulrich! No seriously, you're screwed. Il trash you for this" Yumi spread her right leg so that she was extremely close to the ground.**

"**Interesting. That's just what your boyfriend said before I subdued him."**

**Aether pulled out his blades and pointed one at Yumi. 'Show me what you got my little Asian." Aether challenged in a whiney squeaky voice.**

**Yumi yelled loudly as she threw one of her fans at Aether. Aether jumped off the rock and flew towards the other end of the cave. He circled back and dove towards Yumi. His mouth opened as a stream of red energy flew out of his maw and scorched the ground next to Yumi. She threw her second fan at Aether as he flew over head. The fan went behind him as Aether turned to laugh at her. The fan ricochet off a rock and hit one of Aether's wings. Aether tumbled and fell to the ground as Yumi caught her fan. Aether hit the ground head first as he slammed into the hard cold floor.**

"**No one talks to Ulrich like that in front of me.' Yumi said.**

**Aether stood up and looked at his wing. There was a large tear in it.**

"**Dirty earth walker!!!!! You will pay for that! Aether shouted as he ran towards Yumi screaming loudly. Yumi ran towards him two. She yelled as if she was squaring off with someone in her Pancake salt class. The two jumped in midair as they prepared to hit each other., all Jeremy could do was watch.**

**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

man it is hard to create a new sector, harder then the story, harder then the monsters. harder then.....getting a girlfriend!

but i did it.

Inspiration for the sector came from gears of war 2. metroid prime, resistance 2, and god of war.

pluse i had to get the Titans thier debut

And come on. the gang has to play video games, and i think Aelita would more then likely be the best one of them.

REVIEW OR THE LOCUST FROM GEARS OF WAR WILL ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21

Ghost of Yesterday

The three Sentries fired at the cluster of rocks at the tower's base. Odd crouched behind a rock as he glanced up at the laser shots firing above his head. Aelita glanced around, looking for a way to escape into the air. Jeremy told her that Ulrich and Yumi were still in trouble with this new "Aether" creature, as it called itself. And so far Yumi had been caught by a Scyphozoa and Ulrich had his hands full with Aether. So they needed all the help they could get.

"Incoming Hornets," Jeremy spoke over the loud speaker; Aelita looked up to see three Hornets making a dive at them.

"Jeremy, I'm out of Arrows," Odd said. Aelita fired two orbs at the flying bugs, but they easily maneuvered around them. William stood up and looked at the three bugs. Odd heard both his arms shuffle as Jeremy reloaded his guns.

"Let me try," William said. His sword glowed white as a blue bolt of electricity flowed through his sword. He slashed his sword into the air, releasing a large clear blue shockwave; the wave hit all three Hornets as they exploded in mid air. William turned around smiling; Odd and Aelita had shocked looks on their faces.

"I remember that Xana would force me to do that every once in a while against you guys."

"Oh yeah. When you destroyed Sector 5," Aelita said as she snapped her fingers

A large laser shot hit the rock Odd was hiding behind, causing him to squeal in surprise.

"We need to hold the monsters off so that Aelita can go to help Ulrich and Yumi," Odd said.

Odd poked his arm around the corner and fired off a series of shots towards the Sentries. Aelita fired an energy orb towards one of the last Tarantulas. Now all that remained were the three Sentries, the Defender, a Scyphozoa, and this hooded figure, which was just standing back and watching.

"Do you guys think you'll be ok with all these things? We have the same issue they have as well," Aelita asked.

"We'll take care of the squid; you go and help the newlyweds," William said as he blocked a couple of shots with his sword. His sword glowed white from the shots it had took.

"Ok. Be careful guys," Aelita said.

Odd crouched behind the nearest rock towards the three Sentries. William crouched behind him.

"I'LL take care of the Sentries, you get the Squid," William said. Odd nodded.

William vanished in a white poof of smoke and flew towards the three drones. He materialized out of the air and sliced the first Sentry in half. Odd came out from behind the rock and fired three shots at the Scyphozoa. The first hit one of its tentacles, the second and third hit its large bulbous head.

Aelita waved her hand over her watch as she jumped into the air; her white angel wings appeared out of her back as several laser shots fired in her direction.

William sliced the arm off the second Sentry, as it jerked and shorted from the injury; it fired its gun sporadically. William jumped behind the Sentry and pointed its arm cannon towards the third and final Sentry. The laser rounds pierced into its body as the Sentry exploded. William tossed the body of the second Sentry to the ground and threw his sword into its chest. The Sentry exploded into pieces.

"Having fun?" Odd asked as he jumped into the air to avoid the Defenders' green bomb shot.

"Yes," Will replied as he held his sword with two hands. "Watch this." William's sword glowed white again as it shimmered; a blue bolt of electricity coursed though his sword as he stared at the Scyphozoa. He sliced his sword into the air as a large shockwave fired out of his sword and towards the Scyphozoa. William watched as it came closer and closer to the squid. Suddenly the Defender flew into the air in front of the shockwave and took the impact of the slash.

William was in shock. He looked towards Odd who was just standing there, also trying to contemplate what just happened.

"Did you do that?" William yelled.

"No, I didn't," Odd said.

"I did it."

William looked over at the man in the black robe. He had opened his robe, revealing a black armor chest piece with a Xana Symbol. It was white with hints of red wrapped around it. To Odd and William, it looked familiar. The face was covered with a hood, so William couldn't see who it was.

Now there was just Odd, William, the Scyphozoa, and the man in the hood. The Scyphozoa just floated there, not moving or anything. Finally Odd broke the silence.

"So who are you?" Odd asked.

The stranger slowly pointed towards William. "I was once human; maybe a mere shell of what humanity was, but I could feel, I could smell and taste. So many colors surrounded me. And in the blink of an instance, I was reduced to nothing but a file once more," the figure said as he walked around clenching his fists, his metal gauntlets clanking.

"Have you ever wondered why people never… 'freaked out' when you came back to earth, William?"

Odd slowly lowered his hand as he realized what it was talking about. In the lab Jeremy's jaw slowly dropped as he suddenly realized what was talking.

"Muffin II," Jeremie gasped.

"Who?" William asked, "Who the hell is this?"

"I told him he should have let me decide on the codename...," Odd muttered.

"When you were captured by Xana, I created a program to imitate you so no one would get suspicious. When you came back, I deleted it. I can't believe Xervix found it," Jeremy said as he ran a bio scan over it. Muffin II's stats were exactly the same as William's.

"When it came time for you to go back to earth, I was cast aside. Like a useless tool. That fool Jeremy referred to me as an item, not a being. He tossed me aside and left me here. Now I have a second chance. Xervix has given me the chance to get revenge on you. I will replace you and once Xervix is finished with the boy and girl, we will seal you in this computer. And you will finally see what it's like to be a tool. Merely tossed aside to rot."

Odd pointed both of his arms at the monster; William walked over to his side and held his sword firmly in place.

"Ok then Muffin. Let's do this then," William said.

"Oh it's not Muffin anymore," the figure said as he opened his robe, revealing his full outfit. He had the same outfit William had when he was under Xana's control.

"It's Tartarus."

Tartarus leapt into the air and aimed for William. William stepped to the side in time to see a familiar large sword with a Xana symbol in the center, lined with large thick black veins, slam to the ground next to him. Odd aimed at Tartarus, then grabbed his chest after a precise kick from the former clone. Tartarus delivered a swift and hard Uppercut to Odd as he flew back a few yards. William dropkicked Tartarus in the back. Tartarus fell to the ground. He flipped on his back and did a hand spring into the air. William jumped backwards as Tartarus landed near his sword.

Odd fired both of the guns in his arms as Tartarus deflected them one at a time. William ran towards Tartarus at full force, ready to strike.

In the lab, Jeremy was trying to figure out what was going on. First there was this Aether and Tartarus guy. And now there were two Scyphozoas attacking. The first one had taken turns capturing Ulrich and Yumi, and the second one was just hovering there next to where William, Odd, and Tartarus were fighting. But what was the plan? The Scyphozoa hadn't removed any of Ulrich and Yumi's DNA. Nor had it removed any of their memories. Ulrich and Yumi were fine. Then Jeremy thought of something. Where had Aether and Tartarus came from? Tartarus was a corrupted version of Muffin II that Xervix had taken control of. But what about Aether? He ran a complete Bio scan on Aether and noticed a small thing. He had a similar DNA based signature as Aelita. It wasn't Aelita's DNA. So it wasn't a clone. But it was an A.I. using a copied base code of her DNA to create a human like structure. That's when it hit him.

"If there is a version for William and Aelita… OH NO!!!!!" Jeremy quickly tapped the mic and spoke towards William and Odd.

"Odd!!! William!!! Watch out for the squid! I know what these two are doing," Jeremy said, "They're getting base codes of Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd's DNA to create three more A.I. creatures like Aether and Tartarus. So far they have Yumi and Ulrich's, but if they get Odd's then we're in trouble."

Tartarus turned around and swung his sword toward William. Their swords clashed in midair. A loud clang rang out as William spun around and tried to hit Tartarus from the other side. Tartarus swung his sword around and blocked William's second strike. William tried to swing straight at the legs of Tartarus. The blade flew downward; Tartarus jumped into the air and threw his sword at William's head. William bent backwards and did a flip, landing on his back and rolling out of the way of Tartarus's strike. William lunged at Tartarus and aimed straight for his chest. Tartarus disappeared into a puff of black smoke. William was startled by the sudden disappearance as Tartarus reappeared behind William. Tartarus swung at William's backside. William attempted to block it, but his sword was knocked out of his hands as Tartarus nailed him in the chin with the hilt of his sword. William fell to the ground as he rubbed his jaw. Tartarus picked up William's sword and slowly rubbed the two blades together, making a screeching noise. He slowly approached William and raised both swords over his head.

"You are inferior. Good bye," Tartarus said.

The blades came crashing down as William closed his eyes. He heard the swords hit something. He opened his eyes to see Odd standing between him and Tartarus. His purple shield was deployed and was holding off the swords.

"Please tell me that with all the '_I'm better then you' _talk, you didn't forget I was still here, did you? I mean seriously. Pay attention."

Odd pushed the shield hard, causing Tartarus to stumble backwards. Odd fired four shots at Tartarus. He deflected two, but the other two hit him square in his shoulder. Odd ran up and punched William's sword out of Tartarus left hand. William disappeared into smoke and flew over towards his sword. While it was still in midair, William materialized and grabbed it. Meanwhile, Odd used the paws on his hands to scratch at Tartarus. Tartarus jumped backwards, only to be met with two more Laser Arrows. Tartarus blocked them both as his sword glowed bright red from the impact. Tartarus charged Odd and prepared to strike. However before he could reach the purple cat boy, William jumped in front of him and blocked his blade. As the two pushed on each other, Odd jumped over William's shoulder and landed behind Tartarus. He fired two rounds into Tartarus's back. Tartarus yelled in pain as William hit him in the face with the hilt of his sword and smacked him in the head with the flat, broad side of his blade, sending his opponent sliding several yards. Odd and William stood next to each other and did a sudden Flex for their victory dance.

Back in the lab, Jeremy saw the pose and placed his hand over his face, yet he was glad they were winning.

"Had enough there, Bub?" Odd asked.

Tartarus slowly stood up; his eye burned with the hatred of the embarrassment he was just given. Tartarus turned around and looked towards his two opponents. Then he looked toward the Scyphozoa, which had been sitting back and observing the whole show. Tartarus grunted as he breathed heavily, he motioned for it to come out of hiding.

"You know. This is between me and you William, let's let the kitty cat sit this out," Tartarus replied as he held out his left hand. His eye glowed bright red.

A plume of black smoke enveloped Odd as he tried to struggle. William turned to Odd as he tried to think how he could save him, only to feel something wrap its tentacle around him and lift him in the air; he looked to see that it was the Scyphozoa. It threw him towards the base of the tower. William skidded on the ground until he hit the base of the tower hard.

Odd tried to fight off the Scyphozoa's tentacles. Eventually though it wrapped its arms around his head and began the process. Tartarus smirked at the sight he now saw as he turned his attention towards William.

"Jeremy, is Odd…." William was unable to finish as Tartarus charged towards him. He swung his sword in William's general direction. William blocked it with his; as soon as he blocked it though, Tartarus jabbed near William's stomach. William moved out of the way a little and flung his sword at Tartarus. Tartarus jumped into the air and landed on William's sword. He had landed on William's sword and was standing on it. He ran towards William and side kicked him in the head, sending William reeling towards the edge. Just below the cliff they were fighting on was the digital river, next to a large forest of mushrooms and moss. William attempted to regain his footing, only to have Tartarus tackle him, knocking his sword out of his hands. William landed on the ground. He flipped over on his back to see Tartarus standing over him. Tartarus jabbed his sword at William's head; William moved his head to the left, and Tartarus stabbed him again. William moved his head the right. He brought his feet up and pulled them up and over Tartarus's legs. Tartarus hit the ground, knocking his sword out of his hands. William landed on top of Tartarus and began to wildly punch Tartarus in the face. He growled loudly as he punched Tartarus. Finally after a while he stopped. He looked down at Tartarus. He wasn't moving.

Suddenly Tartarus's eyes opened. "Is that all you got?"

Tartarus shoved William of him with his dark smoke. Tartarus jumped up and grabbed his sword. William grabbed his. They both charged each other; William's sword whistled in the air as he ran; Tartarus dragged his on the ground to the point where it made a screeching noise. They both jumped in the air and wildly swung at each other; their swords hit so many times and knocked them around with so much force that they stayed airborne for five minutes.

Finally William kicked Tartarus to the ground. Tartarus landed on his feet; so did William. The White Knight and Dark Knight stared at each other for a minute. Finally Tartarus disappeared in a puff of black smoke; William rolled out of the way as Tartarus materialized right behind him and slashed the air behind him. William disappeared into a puff of smoke. Tartarus watched as the smoke cloud raced to his left. Tartarus grabbed at the cloud; he felt something in his grasp. The smoke materialized to reveal William; Tartarus had him by the neck. William felt a lot of pressure applied to his neck; it was getting tighter and tighter. His face winced as he tried to free himself. Tartarus put his sword away as he put his other hand on William's neck; he squeezed harder, slowly draining away William's life points.

Back in the lab Jeremy breathed heavy as William's life points slowly dropped. He noted the Scyphozoa had finished scanning Odd's DNA. Odd would be up again but he didn't know how long it would take. And William was going to be devirtualized any minute now.

William tried to force Tartarus off him. But Tartarus shook him hard every time he tried to free himself.

"This is not the end William. Every time you come here, everywhere you go, I will find you. You cannot outrun me; I will remove your arrogance from the world. After all, I am your past. And you cannot escape your past," Tartarus said as he picked William up and threw him to the ground. William felt disoriented from the chocking moment, a clear sign he was low on life points. Tartarus walked slowly towards William with his sword in his hand. He whistled quietly as William tried his best to reach his sword. The sword sat between William and Tartarus. William wrapped one of his fingers around the hilt of the sword. He tried to slide it towards him but Tartarus stepped on it. William looked up, fear on his face.

"You are not meant for either world," Tartarus said. He held his blade up towards his face.

Jeremy saw the whole thing about to transpire. Then he noticed Odd was finally awake.

"Odd, hurry. William is going to be devirtualized by Tartarus," Jeremy said.

Odd looked towards Tartarus. He stood up and slowly pointed one of his arms at Tartarus's back. Jeremy watched as Odd aimed for Tartarus. That's when he noticed Tartarus wasn't looking straight at William. He was looking at his sword. Jeremy suddenly put two and two together and realized what was happening.

"Odd, wait, NO!!!!"

Before Odd could respond he fired a series of Laser Arrows at Tartarus. Tartarus saw the shots fired from the reflection of his sword and stepped out of the way. The shots hit William, who disappeared in a cluster of pixels. Odd gasped in shock as Tartarus turned around and looked at Odd.

"Now… it's time to take out another embarrassment," Tartarus said.

The cemetery was silent and still. Various tombstones and monuments stood in rows, all surrounded by a black metal fence. A young girl and her father walked up to one of the grave stones. The father laid a bundle of roses next to the grave. On the tombstone it read _Vanessa Christina Delmas. 1973-1998 Beloved wife of Jean Pierre Delmas and proud mother of Elizabeth Katharine Delmas._ On the bottom of the tombstone was a small dove holding a banner which read_ we have all the time in the world._

Sissi was wearing a grey women's dress with a white top. She looked at the grave as she held her silence. Mr. Delmas was holding her hand as they talked to the grave.

"I've tried Vanessa. I have tried so hard to make you proud. I have raised our daughter well. She is so much like you," Delmas said as his eyes became wet with tears, "I remember the day the doctors told you that we were going to have a child. You were so happy that on that very day, you cleared out a room in the house for Elizabeth . When you were pregnant, you were the happiest person I had ever met. Then the day came: you went into labor and gave birth, and nothing happened. We took her home and spent the next few days with her. And then the day came when you went and got the groceries. Sissi was at school and I had just gotten the job as the administrator to Kadic. It was snowing. Then I got the call about what had happened. I ran to the hospital, and by the time I got there… you were gone."

Sissi's eyes were swollen with tears. She sniffled as she cried.

"I never got to say goodbye to her, daddy," Sissi cried.

Delmas squatted down and looked her in the eye.

"Do you know what it was like when you were born? After you were born… the nurses gasped at the sight of you. They said you were smiling; they said babies don't smile like that. Then they gave you to your mother and she said_ 'Hello Elizabeth . I'm your mommy.'"_

Sissi hugged her father as she cried.

"I know I have been too busy for you Elizabeth. I haven't been the kind of father you deserve. I've neglected you. But I'm trying. I'm trying so hard to give you what you need."

Sissi stood back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Daddy. You have. You have. You're a good man. I'm proud to have you as a father."

Both daughter and father said their goodbyes to the grave as they walked off. They walked up to their car and opened their doors. As Mr. Delmas started the car, Sissi began to wonder what the banner on the tombstone meant.

"Hey, daddy. What's the quote from her tombstone?"

"That's a quote we heard from one of her favorite movies. _For Your Eyes Only_. A James Bond Movie. She always said it whenever we had issues. It was her way of saying everything would be all right.

The Delmas car pulled up to a stop light as it turned red. Sissi looked outside and saw a mother walking with her two children. She watched as the youngest child skipped around the mother. She was singing as she skipped. The oldest child was only six. He seemed a little annoyed at the sight of her sister skipping merrily. The mother was a young blonde woman in her late 20's. She was smiling the whole time the children were playing and arguing. It reminded Sissi of how she used to play with her mother, and how fun it always was to go out and enjoy the day with her. Sissi looked in a mirror and stared at the reflection.

"Daddy. Am I a good person?"

Jean Pierre looked at Sissi for a minute. "What do you mean?"

"Am I a good person? Tell me I'm a good person."

Jean Pierre started to drive a little before pulling into a parking lot to a book store. He placed the car in park and turned to look at Sissi. He put his hands on her shoulders as he thought of what he was about to say.

"Sissi. I know that in the past you had problems. You had issues with fellow students, and I had to give you detention several times for some things I never understood… such as the time you pretended to be Yumi in the ninth grade class photo last year. But then there were the times I saw you for who you really were. You helped your classmates out as many times as possible; you always hid from people so that you wouldn't receive any recognition for your deeds. You were exactly what your mother and I wanted. You are a guardian to anyone and everyone you meet. And I know that your mother watches you every day, and I know she is very proud of you. You were the best thing that ever happened to us. And I thank god for you every day."

Sissi hugged her father as she started to tear up from what she had just heard. She never got to spend a lot of time with her father. Maybe that was the reason why she was such a jerk. But she wanted to change, she would change. She would become the person her parents had always wanted her to be.

Xervix watched from his throne in the volcano sector as William was devirtualized, Odd started fighting Tartarus, and Yumi battled Aether. He glanced back and forth from hollow screen to hollow screen. The Scyphozoa with Odd's replicated DNA arrived in the throne room. Xervix stood up and walked towards the center of the room.

"It will take me a while to figure out what to create with this DNA copy. But in the meantime I can acquire one piece of the cartographer," Xervix said as the screens all switched to Aelita, flying over the mushroom forest towards Yumi and Ulrich. In a few minutes, Jeremy would tell the pink elf that Odd was all alone and that she would need to head back and help him. That would be the best opportunity to strike.

A Hornet and a Manta materialized in the room. Xervix looked at the two creatures and held out his hand. An orange mist shot out and wrapped around the two monsters. The monsters shook and rippled. The Manta suddenly grew feathers; a pair of wings sprouted from its side. Its head split in two as large boney beak pierced through it. The Xana symbol appeared on its beak. The Hornet began to writher and shake violently. Its skin changed black as its wings changed into a dark yellow color. Its head split open, revealing two large marble like eyes. A large pair of claws tore out of the Hornet's sides. And its stinger on the end extended to the shape of a tail. Xervix stood back and looked in satisfaction.

"Now to finish this battle and claim a piece of the cartographer," Xervix said as he clenched his orange glowing fist.

Aelita flew over the mushroom forest as she scanned the skies for any sign of additional trouble. She also took in the sight of the towering fungus like structures that she flew past. She was about to clear the forest when Jeremy spoke to her.

"Aelita. We have a problem. Odd and William were ambushed by another… thing. William's been devirtualized. You need to head back and give Odd a hand."

"Got you Jeremy. Did William come back ok?" Aelita asked.

"I'll go and check," Jeremy said as he got out of the chair and made his way down to the scanner room. The elevator door opened to reveal that one of the scanners had opened. Inside the cylinder, William stood rubbing his back. He had a look of pain on his face.

"Are you ok?" Jeremy asked as he walked.

William rubbed his chest, where Odd had accidentally shot William. "Ever been hit in the chest with a baseball? It feels kinda like that."

William and Jeremy stepped out of the elevator and into the lab as William pulled up one of the chairs that Odd had bought at the yard sale. It smelled like it had been in the bottom of a lake for years. But it felt good to sit down.

Jeremy sat in the main chair in time to hear a loud bleeping noise. He glanced at the screen to see that there were a swarm of Hornets and Mantas heading towards Aelita's location.

"Aelita be careful. Xervix sent some... turbulence your way. A group of Hornets and Mantas."

Aelita glanced around a little as she flew over the mushroom forest. Her wings flapped harder as she tried to make her way to Odd's location faster. Then she heard it. A high pitched squeal like a monkey's squeal. She looked behind her to see a wave of ten Hornets and four Mantas flying behind her. They were flying towards her fast. Mantas were whitefish blue and shaped like a normal manta ray. They usually stayed around Sector 5 but every once in a while managed to find their way out of Sector 5 and into other areas. The Hornets looked like something out of a video game. They had three wings on each side, and each had a large mosquito like proboscis on its front. They tended to fire mostly lasers but occasionally used acid.

Aelita fired two of her energy orbs at the squadron of monsters. The monsters scattered as one of the orbs hit the front Hornet. Aelita turned around and fired several shots towards the monsters. The Hornets took up positions in front of the Mantas as they began firing a volley of laser shots. Aelita zigzagged back and forth as she tried to avoid the laser fire. Aelita nearly took a hit to the face as she zipped to the right in time to see a bright bolt of energy flash right beside her face. For a second she thought she could feel the heat from the laser bolt as it zipped by.

Aelita could tell that with her flying made her a wide open target. She looked down at the mushroom forest._ Could I pull it off?_ She thought. A second laser firing right below her convinced her. But she would need help.

"Jeremy. I'm going to need your help," Aelita said as her voice sounded like she was low on breath.

"Ok. What do you need?" Jeremy asked

"You can see where all the monsters are on the map with the radar monitor. I need you to tell me exactly where they are. I'm going to fly though the forest," Aelita said as she winced at what Jeremy would say in response.

Jeremy first wanted to ask if she was nuts. But after he looked at the map and saw all the monsters chasing after her he knew she was right. If she was to help Odd, she needed to avoid the Hornets as much as possible.

"Ok. But please be careful. If you hit one of those, lord knows what it will do to you."

Aelita nodded and looked for an opening in the forest. She saw a hole and flew through it. As she entered the hole the swarm fired a large barrage of lasers towards her location. Six Hornets flew in after her while the Mantas and a pair of Hornets flew overhead. The Mantas began dropping mines on the forest as they tried to drive Aelita out.

Aelita squealed and squawked a couple of times as she raced through the forest. She weaved in and out of the tunnels and the fungusy timber as the Hornets tried their best to keep up. Aelita looked behind her for a moment and turned again to look in front of her; she screamed as she narrowly avoided a large root branch. Three of the Hornets missed it while one hit the branch head on, causing it to explode. The explosion of pixels blinded a second Hornet as it bounced off the walls of the trees and smashed into a large fungus trunk.

Aelita noticed a large opening and swung through it. The Hornets looked around frantically as they realized they had lost her. The Hornets flew in a single file line as they scanned for their target.

"I have them to your left; looks like they're about to split up. Wait until they do, and then I would suggest firing at them." Jeremy said as Aelita flew in a fungus path just a few yards to the left of the Hornet squadron. Aelita flew quietly as she flapped her wings only a few times, giving her a type of coasting flight.

The four Hornets split up into two groups of two. Two Hornets flew into an alternate path, while the other two stayed on the same path that they started on. Aelita quickly flew into the same path the first pair entered. She fired two energy orbs. Both Hornets were unable to maneuver in the tight conditions, and they were both destroyed.

Suddenly Aelita heard a loud explosion in the path she just left. The Mantas were just overhead; they began to drop mines near the area she had been flying in and were now correcting their path and heading straight towards her. The mines began to fall around Aelita, behind her, in front of her, everywhere. Aelita squawked a little with every explosion.

In the Lab, Jeremy sweated enough to fill a lake. William stood behind him and watched as he expected a mine to catch Aelita and devirtualize her.

The Mantas continued their barrage as Aelita desperately flew faster; she tried to think of a possible way out of her predicament. Then she saw it. An opening in front of her, a few yards up.

"Jeremy. Time the next mine from drop to discharge, then how long it takes for another to fall."

Jeremy counted as one mine droped to the next mine. It took him a couple times. But eventually he timed it correctly.

"There's about a four second delay in the drop," Jeremy said. "I know what you're planning, but do you know that it has to be perfect right? And that there is a possibility that a mine might drop in that hole, don't you?" Jeremy asked

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy was silent as he thought. "No, I don't. Ok, it's coming up, get ready," Jeremy said as Aelita approached the hole. Aelita powered up two energy orbs in her hands as she prepared to fly though the hole.

"One," Jeremy said as his fingers grasped the chair. William held his breath.

"Two… ...THREE!!!" Aelita shouted as she closed her eyes and flew towards the hole. She suddenly felt something bounce off her back, followed by a mine detonating right under her. She screamed as she flew through the whole. She opened her eyes and saw that the monsters were in front of her. She flew up next to a Hornet as she prepared to strike.

In the Lab, Jeremy let out a sigh of relief as William put his hand on his chest.

"Doesn't she ever give you a heart attack from all these stunts?" William asked.

"A lot," Jeremy said.

The Hornet followed the Mantas, patrolling the area around it. Suddenly a shadow fell upon it. It turned its head as far as it could to see Aelita flying next to it. Aelita flew forward as she landed on the nearest Manta. It faulted with the added weight as she leapt into the air. She fired several energy orbs as the two rear Hornets shattered into several pixels. She blasted the Manta as it tumbled and exploded. A third Hornet slowed down and let Aelita pass it before it started to fly again. Aelita noticed it and made a fist with her hand. Her hand glowed pink as she flew towards the Hornet. The monster fired several shots at her, but she punched the Hornet in the side. The punch released the energy from the orb as it caused the Hornet to tumble and crash into a mushroom. Aelita saw a Manta flying towards her from the front. She made another energy field with both of her hands as she held her hands out in front of her. She hit the Manta head on as it exploded. She felt several laser blasts hit her in her sides. She tumbled and went into a barrel roll as she dropped in altitude. The last Hornet and last two Mantas sped up as she opened her wings wide. They flew right past her. She kicked the last Hornet as it flew into a stalagmite. She looked forwards as the last two Mantas began dropping mines. She then realized something.

"_Gasoline,"_ she thought. She fired a pair of energy orbs. More and more mines dropped as she fired repeatedly. Finally one orb hit one of the mines as it caused it to explode. The explosion caused a massive chain reaction which led to the producers of the mines: the Mantas. Both Mantas exploded into a massive digital blast. Aelita landed on one of the mushroom tops and placed her hands on her hips, as she took in exactly what she did.

"Aelita… you're the best," Jeremy said. William agreed.

"Well actually… I kind of had my eyes closed the whole time I did that," Aelita said, as she winced at what Jeremy's reaction would be.

"WHAT!!!!" Jeremy said as his heart skipped a beat.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22**

**Take a bow**

**Yumi jumped out of the way of another laser blast from Aether's beak; Aether leapt into the air and sliced his swords at Yumi. The gust of wind from Aether's take off knocked Yumi down, She jumped up on to her feet and located Aether, He was flying towards her with his arms stretched out. Yumi leaned back and bent her knees so that she was able to bend away from Aether's blades. Yumi then did a back flip and kicked one of Aether's blades out of his hands. She came back up onto her feet and tossed one of her fans at Aether; the blade hit Aether in the shoulder as he screamed a human scream in pain. The fan flew back to Yumi like a boomerang as she caught it. Aether pulled his head back and pointed it forwards at Yumi. A small thin laser beam shout out as Aether aimed at Yumi. Yumi jumped to her left and landed on the ground in a roll as she attempted to throw another fan. However Aether ran towards her and kicked her in the leg. She lost her balance as she fell to the ground. Aether jumped into the air and descended upon Yumi. He Slammed his daggers into the ground next to where Yumi was standing. Yumi back flipped out of the way as Aether sliced at the air where Yumi's head was once positioned.. Yumi landed on her hands in a crouched position. She ran forwards and slid on the ground. She brought up her foot as she nailed Aether square in the face. Aether let go of the dagger he stabbed into the ground from when he tried to hit Yumi and fell backwards. Aether slid across the ground until he came to a stop. He then slowly stood up.**

"**This has been fun. But now it's time to end it," Aether said as he spread his wings. His wing was still ripped from when Yumi's fan hit. The wing suddenly began to glow as the large tear in it suddenly sealed up and disappeared. Yumi stood in disbelief as Aether flapped his wing to see if it worked properly. After a few seconds he stared back at Yumi and smiled.**

**The Scyphozoa finally released Ulrich from the scan. It growled as it slowly disappeared into the shadows. Ulrich moaned a little as he felt his head. It felt like someone took a power saw to his brain. He slowly stood up. As his vision cleared up, he saw Yumi fighting some kind of flying monster. Then he remembered that the monster was the reason that he was captured by the Scyphozoa. Ulrich tried to stand up but lost his balance and fell. He slowly stood up; his legs felt like a slump of pudding. He finally stood on both of his feet and pulled out his swords. **

"**Jeremy I'm awake. And I'm getting tired of the monsters on here constantly putting me in the sleeper hold," Ulrich said in frustration.**

"**You need to hurry and help Yumi, she has only a few life points left and she isn't holding well against Aether. William has been devirtualized, Aelita is battling a large swarm of hornets and mantas, and Odd is running from Tartarus: another titan thing that Xervix created.**

"**Ok so what do we do?" Ulrich said.**

"**I'm probably going to have to pull you guys out. That pyramid will have to wait," Jeremy said.**

"**Wait!! If we don't deal with this issue now, it will come back and bite us hard. There are still four of us. And how far is this Pyramid?" Ulrich asked.**

"**It's in the middle of the sector. Ulrich I know what you're saying but these two titans are tearing us apart. And what's worse is that the Scyphozoa was scanning you, Yumi and Odd's DNA so that Xervix could create more. That means we might have more of those things on the way soon," Jeremy said**

**By this time Yumi, Odd, And Aelita were listening to the argument.**

"**Look Xervix obviously doesn't want us anywhere near that Pyramid. So whatever it is it must be important. If we don't get it now then we may loose a potential advantage," Aelita said.**

"**And what if it turns out to be a trap? Xervix could be attempting a tactic similar to last time when he trapped Ulrich and Yumi. Only this time, William won't be able to save us," Odd countered.**

"**It will be… just like before…," Yumi said as she dodged some of Aether's jabs.**

**In the Lab Jeremy thought about what Aelita had said. She had a good point, but then again he didn't want to loose his friends.**

"**They make a good point Jeremy. If we could break through those monsters, we might see what exactly Xervix is after. It might have some clues about this System thing too," William said as he looked at Jeremy and the monitor. "And if it looks like they are going to run into trouble, pull them back."**

**Jeremy looked back at the screen. Odd, Aelita, and Yumi had heard most of the conversation, but were too busy fighting to say anything to them.**

"**Ok. Regroup and rejoin with each other. I have a short path to the Pyramid, and there are several towers along the way. And no matter what, Aelita must not get caught by the Scyphozoa, or Xervix, or any other monster. If worse comes to worse I'll pull you guys out. If that happens, no arguments, understand?" Jeremy ordered.**

"**Got it," all four said in succession. **

**Ulrich ran at full force towards Aether, unaware that the Scyphozoa that had captured him had disappeared into the shadows. Yumi blocked one of Aether's blades with her fans, as Ulrich sliced Aether in his leg. Aether grunted in pain as he jumped into the air and flew off. He made a fast turn and flew back towards Yumi and Ulrich.**

"**I'll knock him out of the sky you take out his wings," Ulrich said. Yumi nodded. **

**Aether flew up towards the ceiling of the sector and stopped flapping his short wings. He then began to lose altitude at a fast and incredible rate. The air around him made a loud screaming noise as if he was a bomb plummeting to earth. He held both of his daggers out towards his sides as his mouth glowed red. He was preparing for a dive bomb run, and he planned to take both of them out.**

**Ulrich held both of his swords at his sides as Yumi held one fan in front of her and the other behind her.**

"**Ready?" Yumi asked. Ulrich nodded.**

"**Here… I… come… ready… or… NOT!!!!!!!!!" Aether shouted as he fired his beam at the Lyoko warriors below. Both jumped out of the way, Ulrich jumped onto the wall as he then kicked himself into the air towards Aether. He sliced one of Aether's glowing grey wings off and kicked him square in the chest. Aether fell into a downward spiral as he neared the ground. Yumi put her fans away and placed her hands on her head. A nearby rock suddenly glowed white as it flew off the ground and hit Aether. The rock and Aether flew off the cliff. Aether screamed in rage as he jumped off the rock and grabbed onto a rock sticking off the wall. He watched as the boulder fell and slammed into the river below him. He dangled on the rock as he looked up. He growled in anger as he saw the silhouettes of the two warriors on the ledge run off in the opposite direction.**

"**When I find you two dirty land walkers, I'll teach you to disrespect me," Aether said as he began to climb his way up the wall. He would need another thirty minutes before his wings could heal up. He began to climb ferociously up the wall. He wanted to get his hands on those two kids. And fly up to a high altitude and drop them.**

"**Ok. Meet Aelita and Odd at the Crystal field. It's along the wall. It's an area surrounded by crystals. I'll send you your vehicles," Jeremy said as the Overbike and Overwing virtualized. Ulrich hopped onto the Overbike as Yumi climbed up onto the Overwing. Both of their engines revved up as they took off in the direction of the Crystal forest. Aether climbed out of the pit to see the duo take off. Aether moaned in objection as he looked around for a way to follow them. He came up with an idea.**

**Aelita flew at high speeds toward where she thought the crystal field was. She flew over a passing of roots and mushrooms as she spotted several Tarantulas and Sentries on the move. They were heading to the northern area of the sector. She paused in midair as she counted the number of monsters on the move. **

"**Jeremy. Are you seeing this?" Aelita asked.**

**In the lab, Jeremy scrolled over towards Aelita's position. He saw the number of monsters that were walking single file down the row of mushrooms. He counted six Sentries, five Tarantulas, and two Defenders.**

"**I'm tracking their movement now. Looks like they're heading towards the Pyramid as well. Xervix must also be after what ever is in there. Aelita, right now I would advise you hang back and wait for the others. Even though you're flying, there are still too many of them. And they might send some more fliers your way as well."**

**Aelita looked around and saw a tall clump of twisted roots standing off to the left of the path. Aelita flew over to it and landed on the root cluster. Her wings flickered and disappeared as she looked over the edge.**

"**I'll watch them. I just hope we don't have to mess with these things at the pyramid," Aelita said. "How are Odd, William, Yumi and Ulrich doing?" **

"**Ulrich and Yumi are riding fast in your direction. Odd is running from Tartarus; I sent him the Overboard but Tartarus smashed it. He is going to head to the crystal field and try to lose Tartarus. And William was… devirtualized," Jeremy said.**

"**By a team killer," William said. **

"**Oh come on it was an accident," Jeremy said.**

"**I know, but I intend to ride him about it when he gets back."**

**Aelita heard a loud scream come from the area where the monsters were marching toward. She saw a large bird like monster. Larger then any flyer she had seen. It was bird like with one leg near the end, next to its tail feathers. Its head had a large horned crest that came up the head and wrapped downward like a rams. Its beak opened up, revealing it was split in three different places. The Xana Symbol was on its face, but what was more was that the wings and tail feathers were on fire. Then she saw that they weren't on fire, they were made of fire.**

"**Uhh Jeremy… do you see this Phoenix looking thing? It's huge!" Aelita said.**

**Jeremy looked at the monitor though the video link that Aelita had opened. Both William and Jeremy saw the giant flaming bird that flew above the monster army. Jeremy ran a quick scan over the monster's bio. It had massive fire power, but it didn't have as many hit points as Jeremy thought it would have. However he noticed that the flames acted like a shield. If Odd's laser arrows, or Aelita's orbs, or Yumi's fans hit it, the flames would absorb the shot.**

"**Ok it looks like it's just a kind of massive dive bomber, but its life points are a little low, almost as many life points as a manta. I would say keep out of sight, and don't shoot it. If you fire at it, those flames will absorb the shot," Jeremy said.**

"**So how do you destroy something you can't destroy?" William asked. **

**Jeremy thought for a few seconds and then thought of an idea. He opened a new screen which displayed Odd's current outfit. To the side it labeled the costume. **_**Purple lightning suit.**_** It showed where Odd's force field came from, and it showed the twin hand cannons that the arrows fired from. Jeremy typed in a list of other commands and opened a screen that said **_**attachments**_**. There were a series of symbols. One looked like a lightning bolt, one looked like a fire ball, one looked like a snowflake, and the other looked like a missile. **

"**When I designed everyone's new costumes, I created a lot of equipment that I wanted to implement. But after Xana made his move to catch Aelita, I had no other choice but to send them in unprepared. Looks like now we can use these," Jeremy said.**

"**What are you going to do?" William asked.**

"**Well the phoenix monster is on fire, and most of the weapons will explode if it gets to close. So I'm going to give Odd his Ice Shot. It shots a ball of ice at extremely cold temperatures. Now even though the Phoenix is on fire, the shot should be enough to douse one of its fires, opening a hole for the others to hit it at," Jeremy said. "All we need to do is get Odd to a tower and install both the Ice Shot and his toggle button."**

"**Toggle button?" William asked.**

"**So that Odd can choose between the laser arrow ,ice shot, and possibly another upgrade" Jeremy said.**

"**Are you going to upgrade the rest of us Jeremy?" Aelita asked quietly.**

"**Hmmm… I could give you your Charge beam. But remember, every time you use it, you lose life points. That was really the only upgrade I made for you that I finished," Jeremy said.**

"**Ok so I'll just make sure I use it moderately. And only if I need to use it," Aelita said.**

"**Ok I'll get them prepped. We never finished Ulrich or Yumi's; for now just find Odd and get to a tower so I can upload the upgrade you two," Jeremy said. **

**Jeremy began running a couple of programs that would link the upgrades to the tower.**

**Aelita walked over to the edge of the mushroom. She held her hands out wide and fell off the mushroom. Her wings opened up wide as she glided across a group of stalagmites.**

"**Ok so where is Odd?" Aelita asked.**

**Jeremy continued to type in the codes as William watched from behind. "Just follow the screams," William said.**

**Odd yelled in distress as he jumped out of the way of Tartarus's blade. He was low on life points and was running out of places to run. Tartarus slowly followed Odd as he smiled. He enjoyed chasing the purple feline. He was merely toying with Odd, buying time until Aether cornered Aelita and forced her to download a piece of the cartographer. **

**Tartarus finished in a plume of black spoke. The smoke ran along the ceiling as he started to catch up with Odd. Odd ran faster as the smoke flume ran in front of him and slid down from the ceiling, running in front of Odd. Tartarus rematerialized in front of Odd and held out his hand. Odd's neck ran right into Tartarus hand. Tartarus squeezed his hand tight as he slowly lifted Odd in the air. Odd held out his hand and tried to fire off an arrow. Tartarus used his other hand and grabbed Odd's hand as he fired off a shot. Odd gasped as he tried to wrestle his way out of Tartarus's grasp.**

"**How can someone as small as you be such a nuisance?" Tartarus asked.**

"**Like this!" Odd said as he fired a shot from his other hand. The shot ricocheted off a **

**rock and pinged off a root ball. The Arrow nailed Tartarus in the back as he fell over in pain. Tartarus released Odd who hit the ground running. Tartarus turned around and shot a cloud of dark mist directly at Odd. Odd rolled forward as he jumped out of the way. He ran behind some stalagmites and ducked behind a large boulder. He turned around in time to see Tartarus come running down the path. Odd fired several shots towards Tartarus. One hit Tartarus in the knee as he fell over and skidded to a halt. Odd leapt from behind the rock and ran down the path some more. Tartarus scrambled to get to his feet. He grabbed his sword and started to chase after Odd. Odd spun around and fired several shots towards Tartarus as he ran backwards. It was a little trick he learned how to do after so many years fighting on Lyoko; it was hard to learn at first but it was quite handy.**

**Tartarus used his sword to block the arrows as he swung his sword fast. Odd fired an arrow at a stalagmite. The arrow hit the rock, causing it to shake and eventually fall. Tartarus stopped in time for the rock to smash to the ground in front of him, cutting off his chase.**

"**Odd… that was awesome," Jeremy said.**

"**Well what would you expect?" Odd said.**

"**Listen Odd. We need to upgrade your arm cannon. There is a new monster that is impervious to most attacks. Your ice shot should work wonders on it. Plus with all the new monsters, we figured it was high time we went on the offensive. We're going to make a run for the pyramid. Aelita's on her way; the nearest tower just so happens to be in the crystal field. Aelita will meet you there," Jeremy said as he virtualized the Overboard for Odd.**

**Odd mounted the board and tapped his foot on the front part where the accelerator was. The engine hummed as the purple cat and his large surfboard like machine gained altitude. He could see the entire area where they were at. It was still quite impressive. Just towards the end of the sector he spotted the Pyramid. He couldn't quite make it out but something about it was different then any normal pyramid that he had seen in text books and on TV.**

"**Jeremy? Is that the Pyramid?" Odd asked.**

"**It is. That Pyramid seems to be in the center of the Sector. There are other Pyramids in the other sectors as well. That includes the older sectors as well. But for right now we're going to see what the pyramid looks like in this sector."**

**The engine on the overboard flared up again as Odd flew towards the crystal field. He passed over several stalactites and moss coverings. Odd flew low to the ground of the cave so that he wouldn't attract any attention. Odd heard a noise coming from behind him. He turned around to see a black mist shooting at him at lightning fast speed. **

"**OH come on… this guy never gives up!!!" Odd said as he rolled his eyes. "Well you want to play, tartar-sauce… let's play," Odd said as he jumped off the Overboard. Tartarus rose up from the mist and sliced the Overboard in half as Tartarus landed on the ground. He glanced up to see Odd run into the entrance to the crystal field. Tartarus slid his sword onto the latches on his back as he slowly entered the field. The field was a string of crystals and glass orbs. There were large crystals and small crystals. Some with white hues, red hues, blue hues, and black hues. Tartarus slowly entered the field. He could see several images behind the crystals that were distorted and bent. Almost like a fun house mirror. **

"**BLUHHHHHAHHHH!!!!" Tartarus turned to see Odd looking like the size of a elephant. Tartarus grabbed his sword and sliced the crystal in half. The crystal slammed to the ground with a thud as it shattered into several pieces. Tartarus looked around for any sign of the purple cat. He then heard the sound of someone giving him a razzie. He turned to see five Odds waving their hands next to their ears and sticking out their tongues. Tartarus sliced and smashed all five of them. Tartarus looked around. He caught glimpses of Odd in the crystals. He ran in one direction and then ran in the other. He looked fat one minute, and then thin the next. Suddenly he saw a version of Odd running right towards him. He grabbed his sword only to see the reflection fade. Suddenly he felt something jump on his back. Odd wrapped one of his arms around Tartarus's neck as he forced all his weight toward the back. Tartarus fell on his back; fell on Odd. Odd had his knees bent and bounced Tartarus off his back. Odd fired several shots into Tartarus's back, causing him to bounce in the air with every shot Odd fired. Odd rolled out of the way as his arm cannons glowed white from Jeremy reloading. Tartarus sat up and turned around in time to see Odd running in the opposite direction. Tartarus ran towards Odd and sliced at the purple cat. The orb shattered into several pieces as Tartarus growled in anger.**

**Tartarus looked up to see seven Odds climbing up a crystal. Tartarus held his sword as he watched the seven Odds jump off the crystals. Six of them disappeared. One Odd however hit Tartarus in the face, while firing a shot at the same time. Tartarus dropped his sword as Odd back flipped in front of Tartarus, kicking him in the process. Tartarus fell to the ground as Odd pointed his arm cannon at Tartarus. "Never mess with purple lightning," Odd said as he fired a shot straight at Tartarus's head.**

**Odd looked down to see his arrow plant into the dirt; Tartarus had fled.**

"**Odd. Tartarus is leaving the area. Now's your chance. The tower is in the middle of the fields. Aelita is waiting for you," Jeremy said.**

"**Gotcha Einstein," Odd said as he ran towards the tower.**

**Back in the lab Jeremy breathed as he realized they might stand a chance of getting out of this. William watched over his shoulder. He felt bad about not being able to help; he knew that if he was there he could have taken out Tartarus and bought Odd some time to get to the tower. Instead he was once again careless and lost.**

"**Your awfully quiet back there William… you ok?" Jeremy asked.**

"**Yeah it just…," William said as he breathed heavily.**

"**You lost… it's not the end of the world… yet," Jeremy said.**

"**Last time I lost, I cost us so much though… am I even worth keeping?" William asked.**

**Jeremy took off his headset and turned around to look at William. "Will. Last time you saved us all. Without you Aelita would be stuck on Lyoko. Ulrich and Yumi would be dead and lord knows what would happen next. So if you're looking for an answer as to if you're valuable or not, I would say you're definitely a valuable player to the team in the fact that you're one of the strongest among us."**

**William smiled a little as Jeremy turned around to continue helping the others. "Besides. A wise man once said the past is there to learn from. Not to worry about," Jeremy said.**

"**Who said that?" William asked.**

"**The man who built the computer, Franz Hopper."**

* * *

**In the cave sector, Yumi and Ulrich rode fast on their vehicles. They rode down a long and wide path surrounded by roots and rocks. They passed several crystalline structures that were giving off light. Yumi kind of liked the light the crystals were giving off to light the sector.**

"**Gotta admit, this would be a nice place to hang out, if it wasn't for the random monsters trying to kill us left and right," Yumi said.**

**Ulrich looked up at her as he drove down the path. "I don't think so; it's too dark and dismal. It's giving me a sense of paranoia," Ulrich said**

"**You're just…," Yumi tried to finish her sentence as she heard a loud screaming noise coming from behind them. Ulrich and Yumi both looked to see a group of weird looking spider things running down the path. Each had a long proboscis on its front and five legs. They were brown like a hornet and had the same body build. There were three of them. As they ran from their perch, they jumped into the air as the arms waved back and forth. Suddenly a winged webbing appeared in between the legs of the animals.**

"**Not more new monsters!!" Ulrich yelled. "You know I miss the old…"**

"**KANKRELATS!!!!!" Yumi yelled as she pointed behind them. Running on the ground at high speeds were a group of Kankrelats. Their eyes glowed as they began to fire several shots towards the two warriors. Yumi held out one of her fans as she deflected several shots from the Kankrelats. With her other hand she threw her fan. It whistled a high pitch scream as it flew in one direction. It sliced straight through one of the Kankrelats as the other two continued along the path. Ulrich noticed a large root coming up on his right. He pulled out one of his Katanas and sliced a large chunk of the root off. The piece of digital wood slammed to the ground as the last two Kankrelats slammed into it, causing both of them to explode.**

**Yumi smiled at Ulrich in approval when she suddenly heard a loud cry, like an owl. She turned around fast to see one of the new Air Spiders flying towards her. It jumped on her back. Yumi struggled to fly the Overwing and the new parasite at the same time. The Air Spider stuck its proboscis into her back. Yumi yelled loudly as she felt it hit her. She didn't feel any pain, just a large amount of pressure on her back side. A second Air Spider jumped onYumi's leg. It stuck her as well as Yumi kicked her leg violently to get it off.**

"**Jeremy what the hell is that thing doing?" Ulrich asked.**

**Back at the lab, Jeremy looked at its stats and Yumi's stats and gasped as he realized what it was doing.**

"**Ulrich, it's draining her of her life points. It looks like it is built to drain life points and inject those life points into a new body, more then likely monsters. You need to get it off her or else it will drain her of the last of her life points," Jeremy said.**

**Ulrich hit the acceleration on his bike as the rear engine roared to life. His wheel lifted off the ground as his bike went airborne. Ulrich flew up behind Yumi as he sliced at the Air Spider. He missed the first time. Ulrich heard another noise over his shoulder as he saw the second Air Spider flying towards him. He threw his sword at the Air spider. It pierced the monster and pinned it to a nearby rock. He turned his attention to the Air Spider on Yumi's back. She was swatting at it with her hand as she screamed in disgust. The Spider on her leg jumped off and slid on the ground as it scurried away.**

"**Get this damn thing off me!" Yumi shouted. "Hold still," Ulrich said. **

**As he prepared to slice at it, the air spider leapt off her back and flew up into the air. Yumi stopped fighting as she looked up. There above them they saw Aether. He clutched the Air Spider as it fed him Yumi's life points. It slowly restored Aether's health. Aether's wings glowed brighter and the color returned to his skin. Aether looked down at the two kids as he screamed loudly. He smashed the Air Spider with his hands as he began to fly down towards their level. Ulrich swerved to the left as Aether gained speed. Ulrich held his sword tightly as he tried to think of a way to cut Aether back out of the air again. Then he saw Aether's mouth glow as he prepared to fire his cutting beam.**

"**LOOK OUT!!!!!" Ulrich shouted. Aether fired his crimson red beam. Ulrich managed to make it out of the way. The beam hit the Overwing as it suddenly began to spin out of control. Yumi tried to hold on to it as it spun faster and faster. Her fingers began to slip as she tried to hold on.**

"**Ulrich help," Yumi shouted. That's when Aether hit the Overwing with his daggers and split the Overwing in half. Yumi felt gravity take its hold on her as she began to fall downward towards the ground. She didn't fall too far since they were flying low to the ground anyways. But she still felt it when she skidded on the ground hard. After a few feet she tried to stand up but felt dazed and disoriented. A clear sign she was about to get devirtualized if she was hit one last time. The ninja geisha heard a loud screaming noise. She turned to see a large bird man flying towards her.**

"**I'M BAAAAACCCCKKK," Aether shouted as he swooped down and grabbed Yumi by her feet. He hoisted her high into the air as she tried to struggle out of his grasp. Aether was carrying her by his feet. She squirmed and fidgeted as Aether gained altitude. Ulrich flew up towards them as fast as the Overbike could fly. He gritted his teeth as he realized he couldn't catch up to Aether. He had no other choice. **

"**Jeremy can you do something for me?" Ulrich asked.**

"**I can't bring her back in, something is blocking me from bringing her back in, I think it's Aether," Jeremy said.**

"**No, not that, listen," Ulrich said.**

**Aether flew higher into the air. As he neared the ceiling, he turned and looked around the area. No one was in sight. He then pulled out his daggers and threw Yumi up to him with his feet. He caught her by the arms and held her arms straight up so that she couldn't try to fight back.**

"**I think you will find the view around here rather spectacular," Aether laughed as he showed her the how far up they were.**

**Aether pointed his dagger towards Yumi's throat as he prepared to stab her with them. Then he looked down towards the floor of the sector. He looked up at Yumi who was still trying to free herself.**

"**See you next fall," Aether whispered. Yumi's eyes got wide as Aether prepared to let her go.**

**Suddenly a yellow flash came up to Aether's position. Aether looked with just enough time to see Ulrich drive his sword into his arm. Aether screamed in anger as he released Yumi. She tried to reach for Aether's outstretched arm as she began to fall. Ulrich saw this and pulled out his sword. He jumped off Aether, causing Aether to loose his balance.**

**Yumi felt her body in free fall as she tumbled and flipped through the air. She caught a glimpse of Ulrich falling behind her. She tried to reach for him as Ulrich caught up to her.**

"**YUMI," Ulrich yelled as he noticed how close they were getting to the ground. Yumi gasped as she felt Ulrich's fingertips touch hers. Finally he grabbed her. He pulled her up to him and hugged her tightly.**

"**Ulrich what are we going to do?" Yumi asked.**

"**NOW," Ulrich yelled. The Overbike flew up to them as Ulrich grabbed a hold of it and sat in the seat. He guided Yumi to sit behind him as she wrapped her arms around his stomach. Ulrich revved up the Overbike as he pulled up on the bike. The Overbike began to gain altitude as the pair finally leveled out.**

"**Jeremy that was great," Ulrich said.**

"**No problem. I thought you where afraid of heights?" Jeremy said.**

**Ulrich paused for a second as Yumi lifted her head up and looked at Ulrich. "I guess with Yumi in trouble I must have forgotten all about it," Ulrich admitted. Yumi rested her forehead on Ulrich's back as Ulrich came to a stop. He turned around a looked at her. She looked like she was a little groggy and was about to pass out.**

"**You ok?" Ulrich asked.**

"**I never want to go through anything like that again. Lyoko or not, I still panicked and it still felt real to me," Yumi said as she wrapped her arms around herself. "If this was the real world I would have more then likely thrown up by now or even have a heart attack."**

**Ulrich hugged her to reassure her that she was safe. She hugged back while back in the lab William and Jeremy watched.**

"**Huh newly weds are at it again," William said.**

"**You're not troubled by that are you?" Jeremy asked.**

"**Nah it's cool. I mean there are other fish in the sea. Besides I like being their friend more." **

**Jeremy smiled a little as William patted him on the shoulder and handed him a soda. Jeremy hadn't noticed that from watching all the fighting he was sweating like crazy.**

**Back on Lyoko Ulrich noticed something. Aether was nowhere to be found. He was usually right up on them, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was eerily silent.**

"**Jeremy where is Aether at? I don't see him anywhere," Ulrich said.**

"**It looks like he left the sector after you stabbed him in the arm. Better not wait for any other monsters. Get to the tower and get Yumi healed up. I have something you guys might need to get to that Pyramid," Jeremy said.**

* * *

**Odd stood next to the tower as he waited for the others to arrive. He heard a distinct flapping noise as he looked up. Through the light he saw a pink haired elf with wings land a few inches from him. Her wings folded up as they flickered and disappeared.**

"**Hey princess, how was the flight?" Odd asked.**

"**Bad turbulence," Aelita said as she rotated her wrist around. "How was hide and seek with… Tartar sauce?" Aelita asked as she tilted her head to one side.**

"**Oh man. William if you can here me, he is all yours next time," Odd said.**

**William reached over and took the mike from Jeremy. "Oh don't worry Odd, I'll get him next time. Just make sure you don't shoot me again."**

"**Oh come on, it was an accident William."**

"**Yeah accident or not you freaking shot me," William said.**

"**It could have happened either way; if I was being choked by Tartarus...," Odd said till William cut him off.**

"**Yeah but see there is a problem, I don't have a cat gun now do I?" William said as**

**Jeremy tried to take the mike back. "Oh Jeremy said Ulrich and Yumi are close by."**

**The Overbike pulled up with Ulrich and Yumi on the back. Ulrich stepped off and helped Yumi down. They slowly walked over to the tower while Odd and Aelita looked on.**

"**Is she ok?" Aelita asked as she pointed towards Yumi.**

"**She keeps losing consciousness; I don't know what's wrong. Jeremy scanned her twice and each time it says she should be recovering. I'm worried," Ulrich said as Yumi leaned on him.**

"**Maybe we should take her into the tower," Odd asked.**

**Ulrich began to lead Yumi toward the tower until Aelita stopped them.**

"**Wait. Wait no it's something else, something is wrong here," Aelita said as she walked over.**

"**What else could it be Aelita? I scanned her twice and there is nothing wrong with her," Jeremy said.**

**Aelita walked up to Yumi and noticed she wasn't moving as much as when she got there. She held out her left hand and closed her eyes. For a minute she saw nothing but the blackness of her virtual eyelids. Then the darkness slowly faded away and revealed a red landscape. She saw Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd but she saw other things as well. She could see their outline, but she also saw something in their chest, their virtual soul as she called it. It was their entire body compacted into one digital orb of energy. Flesh, bone, blood, soul and heart all broken down and reconstructed into this little jewel. Aelita swore that if she looked close enough she could almost make out their real world bodies in the orbs. She looked at Yumi and saw something else. She saw a long black line leading from Yumi's virtual soul and into an object on her back. It looked like a spider with wings.**

"**Jeremy there is something on her back!! It's some kind of Spider thing," Aelita said as she fired an orb at it, hitting it square in its side and causing it to fly off her back. The line leading to Yumi's virtual soul disappeared as the Air Spider flew off her back. **

**Ulrich and Odd watched as the Air Spider reappeared out of thin air and hit the ground. It landed on its back. It flipped itself over as it turned around and ran back towards Yumi. Odd held out one of his arm cannons and fired one shot. The Air Spider blew to pieces. **

"**How did you know that was there?" Ulrich asked.**

"**I call it my digital sight. I discovered it back when XANA hid a tower from me and ****Yumi. It reveals anything digital that we can't see with our normal eyes. I think that thing was trying to attack Yumi through her Virtual Soul," Aelita said as she patted Yumi on the back to see if she was doing better.**

"**I just ran a scan over her; I was running virtual scans over her but not Bio stats on her real body. That thing appeared to be attempting to pull her virtual soul out of her virtual envelope. It caused a lot of stress on her body. That is why she was so unresponsive," Jeremy said.**

"**Let's get her inside the tower and see if she can wake up or not," Ulrich said as he scooped her up in his arms and walked inside the tower. Odd joined him with Aelita following behind them. Why was Xervix trying to take Yumi's virtual soul? Aelita thought.**

* * *

Well here is the long awaited Chapter 22, Its been a rough couple of weeks, finals, christmas, Back issues which might need a little surgery, Work. and the dam cold. But here it is, i hope to get another up before years end.

I went into more detail with the Cave sector, i pretty much took everything about a cave and added it on here. Plus I figured Odd need'd a good fight scene since he lost the last one. Plus Ulrich need'd a hero moment as well. OH and we gots two new monsters..HOW FUN!!!!

REVIEW OR NO SANTA COMING THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23

By The Way

The four warriors entered the tower. Ulrich was still carrying Yumi while Odd and Aelita followed close behind them. Ulrich laid Yumi on the floor of the tower so that her life points would replenish. He sat down next to her as Aelita prepared to install the upgrades into the others' virtual forms.

"Ok Odd, you're first," Aelita said as she opened the holo panel. From the lab, Jeremy typed in several commands as he prepared to install the upgrade. He selected ice shot, homing missile, and wave curl for Odd's arm cannon. He also installed a second upgrade for Odd, the charge shield: a different type of shield in which every time it absorbed a shot, the energy from the shot was stored inside one of Odd's Wave Curl shots, making it stronger and cause more damage.

"Ready to rock and ruin?" Jeremy asked.

"Ready on my end," Aelita said as a purple ring formed around Odd.

"Uh… I feel kind of strange here guys," Odd said as he looked around him. Ulrich watched as Yumi continued to lay there on the floor unconscious

.

"Inserting program into virtual envelope," Aelita announced as Odd yipped a little. "Hey I felt that!"

"Upgrading virtual spectrum," Jeremy announced as the purple ring began to move up and down; it moved faster and faster as Odd winced a little from the sight.

"Counting down," Aelita announced. "3... 2… 1!!!" Both Aelita and Jeremy said at the same time as Odd's virtual form flickered and disappeared, replaced with a green wire frame and a purple orb, his virtual soul. Suddenly several pixels formed back into place, revealing a big eyed purple cat with tall spiky hair. The purple light disappeared as he slowly began to move his head around.

There was a eerie silence as Odd finally began to move. He noticed that on his hand was a plus sign with several symbols on it. One looked like a piece of ice while another looked like a wave. The third looked like a picture of Kiwi, and the fourth had what looked like a anime picture of Odd smiling widely.

"Odd, meet your new arm cannon," Jeremy said as Odd looked around it. His hand now had a metallic looking piece on the area where his arrows shot out of, making it look like a small cannon.

"So this means I get to fire like… missiles and stuff?" Odd asked, to which Aelita nodded.

"Cool!!"

Odd touched one of the buttons on his wrist. He pressed the one with the ice picture on it. His hand glowed for a second as it turned blue. He pointed it over towards the wall and fired. A shot of blue liquid hit the wall causing it to shatter into a crystalline icy formation. Ulrich and Aelita whistled in awe as Odd's arm whistled from firing the Ice shot.

"I would wait and fire the other upgrades outside the tower. Those can be a little dangerous to fire inside the tower," Jeremy said as he prepared to upgrade Aelita's energy wave.

Aelita walked over to the center of the tower as the holo panel began to run by itself, a clear indication that Jeremy was running things from his end of the computer. Jeremy uploaded two upgrades for Aelita.

The lights around Aelita began to glow as Jeremy began to count down again. Finally he reached three as Aelita's virtual form shattered, revealing her virtual soul.

Ulrich noticed something different about her Virtual soul then Odd's. It glowed more then Odd's. Of course, hers was a nice girly pink color. But it shimmered a little more then Odd's.

Several pixels began to form out of nowhere as a young pink haired girl appeared. She slowly opened her eyes as she looked around herself; that's when she noticed the bracelet next to her star bracelet. It was silver and had a blue glasslike orb in the center.

"Jeremy? What's this?" Aelita asked, "It's a pretty bracelet and all but I'm not a jewelry girl."

"Sorry but that's an upgrade I never got around to finishing. I just finished it a minute ago. It's called the team heal. When you use your charge beam you have two options. One is to use it in the gamma beam; the second is to use the energy to heal the others. I figured since you guys were going against several super warriors, you guys would need to heal fast instead of merely wasting the energy you build up and your life points."

"Well we should try it out first chance we get. Was that all the upgrades?" Odd asked.

"We fully upgraded Ulrich because the plan was for him to fight William; no offense William," Aelita said.

"None taken," William replied.

"The only one left is Yumi. Her life points have recovered, and I think I found what that Air Spider was doing," Jeremy replied. "I think it was trying to completely drain her of her life points and transmit them to Aether. But in order to do so, it had to null her virtual envelope. In essence what would have happened was you would have taken her into the tower, and he would have fought you guys while Yumi's constant healing through the tower would have healed him. The null effect should be wearing off soon though," Jeremy said.

"So should we just leave her in here?" Aelita asked.

"We can't, what if one of those monsters tries to attack her?" Ulrich asked.

"She will be fine Ulrich, if any monster tries to attack her then I'll pull her back and devirtualize her," Jeremy said.

"Wait wait wait! I can't just leave her in here all by herself. What if you can't?" Ulrich protested.

"Don't worry about it Ulrich, Einstein will watch her," Odd said as he tried to reassure him.

"No I can't do this, I can't. I won't leave her here by herself," Ulrich said.

"Ulrich what about Aelita and Odd, they will need some help getting her to the pyramid," Jeremy said. "I know she is your girlfriend and you two are in love. But the mission has to come first."

Ulrich paused as his face showed his emotion. Anger. He was entirely angry with what Jeremy just said. "So Yumi and I are nothing compared to the mission? After all that?" Ulrich said in a loud voice.

"I'm not saying that Ulrich, all I'm saying is that…," Jeremy was cut off by a yelling Ulrich.

"I WON'T LEAVE HER HERE JEREMY, SO DON'T TRY TO ASK ME TO DO THAT," Ulrich said.

"Hey!! Don't yell at Jeremy like that!" Aelita protested back.

"So you're going to leave her here with the monsters and let them take her?" Ulrich asked. "I can't lose her guys. She is all I have that matters right now!" Ulrich said

"Wait what do you mean? What about your parents? Don't they matter?" Odd asked.

Ulrich suddenly froze up. He realized he had completely lost control. He knew Jeremy would take care of Yumi, but he was still scared. And due to his fear, he had hinted on the one secret he was trying to hide.

"I'm sorry guys. I'm just scared for Yumi's sake," Ulrich admitted as he looked over at his girlfriend, lying on her side. "I'm sorry Jeremy, Aelita."

"It's ok Ulrich, I felt that way with Aelita before. But what do you mean she is all you have?" Jeremy asked.

Ulrich looked down at his feet; he basically just froze up from fear of revealing the one thing that was giving him trouble from the start. Only Yumi knew about his parents divorce. And what was worse; it was giving the family issues. His father had been arrested for hitting Ulrich's mother. And Ulrich was unable to voice his opinion in the matter.

"Ok guys… you all have told me secrets; I should tell you mine. I have been keeping secret for a while now. Only Yumi knows…. My parents are getting a divorce," Ulrich said.

Odd looked at Ulrich with a look of shock on his face. Aelita gasped as she covered her mouth. In the lab Jeremy and William both shared the same expression. Guilt and surprise. Aelita ran over and hugged Ulrich.

"I'm so sorry Ulrich," Aelita said

"So… is that why you have been so moody lately?" Odd asked. Ulrich nodded.

"Why are they getting a divorce? I know your father doesn't like us but why are they getting a divorce?" Jeremy asked over the microphone.

"I'd rather not say guys. I'm sorry. I'm still having a hard time coping with it," Ulrich said.

"Well I hate to break all this up but we got some bad guys to fight, a super villain to beat, and a pyramid asking for the next best thing to Indiana Jones to show up," Odd said.

"What about Yumi?" Ulrich asked as he looked at Aelita.

"If anything happens Ulrich, I will devirtualize her and bring her back safely. In the meantime I can upgrade her while she rests, You have my word she will be safe." Jeremy assured.

"Ok so now we make a run for the Pyramid. And we need to look out for those Air Spiders. They came out of nowhere and struck Yumi in the back. Plus it's hard telling exactly what else Xervix has for us in store," Ulrich said.

Odd and Aelita stepped out of the tower as Ulrich followed them out. He paused before he stepped out of the tower and turned around. Yumi laid on her back. She had such an innocent look about her. Ulrich walked over and sat her head up. He held her hand as he spoke to her.

"Please… be safe Yumi," Ulrich whispered as he kissed her on the lips. He laid her head back down as he turned and walked out of the tower. In the lab, Jeremy began to prepare the upgrades to Yumi as she rested.

Ulrich finally emerged from the tower as Aelita and Odd watched him. Aelita had a look of worry on her face. Ulrich was like an older brother to her. After her father's death, Ulrich started inviting Aelita to join him and Yumi when they went out. He also gave advice to Aelita on what to do with Jeremy when she couldn't understand what to do when he was either in a foul mood or a depressed mood.

To Odd, Ulrich was his best friend. He had hardly any friends before he came to Kadic. In elementary school students went in different directions after they graduated. When he arrived at Kadic, Ulrich at first hated him, but then he started to get to know Odd and began to like him.

"Ok guys. Let's go do this. Let's show Xervix what he is dealing with," Ulrich said.

Odd and Aelita nodded as Jeremy virtualized their vehicles. Odd's OverBoard, and Ulrich's OverBike. Aelita merely waved her hand over her bracelet. White heavenly wings materialized out of her back. She jumped into the air as her wings began to flap.

"The Pyramid should be just beyond the crystal field and past the riverside, which leads into a lake. The monsters are going to be on you all the way. The good news is that I have scanned the entire area and there is no sign of any of the Titans or Xervix. Just a whole bunch of monsters. So in essence, it should be a walk through the park," Jeremy said.

Ulrich revved up his bike as the three warriors sped off towards the end of the crystal field. Aelita flew overhead as she kept an eye on any possible danger. Odd hovered close to the ground as Ulrich followed behind. He glanced around the crystal area; he saw reflections of himself and reflections of the others in the crystal mirrors. He looked at himself as he wondered about what had happened the last few weeks. First his mother has his father arrested. Then they file for divorce. And once more, there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had tried.

* * *

Ulrich sat on his bed; he was alone in his room. The others where at dinner. He held out his cell phone. His phone was set to speed dial. His mother's name was highlighted in the phone. His thumb was on the button that would dial the number. He breathed heavily as he pushed the button and placed the phone to his ear. It rang a couple of times. Finally he heard the other line pick up, followed by the sound of his mother's voice.

"Hello? Ulrich?" the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Hi mom, how are you?" Ulrich asked in a nervous voice.

"I'm surviving honey. How are you?" Ulrich's mother asked.

"Same here. Have you spoken to Dad yet?"

Ulrich paused as he tried to think of his answer. "No I haven't. I don't think I should talk to Dad. Have you?" Ulrich asked

"No I haven't. Your uncle Hugo tried the other day but he shut him out. I think rehab is going bad on your father."

"Have you guys decided… on things?" Ulrich asked.

"What do you mean? We haven't gotten that far," Ulrich's mother asked.

"I meant did you? Decide on me?" Ulrich asked.

There was a long pause on the phone as Ulrich only heard his mother's breathing. It seemed as if a lifetime had passed until she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry dear. We haven't discussed it yet," Ulrich's mother said.

Ulrich felt depressed about what she had just said. He lowered the phone as he tried to place why it was he was feeling like this.

"I got to go Mom. Bye," Ulrich said as he hung up the phone. Ulrich heard a knock at the door; he ignored it the first time then heard a second knock, followed by the voice of a young Asian girl.

"Ulrich, are you in there?" Yumi said.

Ulrich got up and opened the door. He saw the face of his girlfriend, giving him the same warm smile she had always given him when they got together. Ulrich however didn't have the same warm smile Yumi had. Yumi noticed this as her smile was replaced with her look of concern.

"What's wrong?" Yumi asked as she entered the room.

"Nothing's wrong," Ulrich murmured.

"Come on don't, don't shut me out like this. I'm your girlfriend, that means you need to tell me because I need to help you," Yumi insisted.

"Just... just leave me alone," Ulrich said.

"In the past I would have and just walked off all pissed off, but I'm not going to this time because I know what it's most likely about… your parents' divorce."

Ulrich nodded lightly. "They haven't decided what's going to happen to me yet. And I know why. It's because my father is busy trying to clean himself up. But my mother is enjoying life."

Yumi paused for a minute as she looked at Ulrich. "What do you mean?" Yumi asked.

"My mother doesn't need my father's permission to do anything anymore. She can just go out and do it as she pleases. And because of that she has had no time to try and save her marriage or talk about the divorce. And because of that, my fate's undecided," Ulrich said.

Yumi sat down next to him and hugged him. He hugged her back. They stayed there for a few minutes until Yumi moved away to look Ulrich in the eye.

"Maybe this is something they need to figure out on their own. Let her have her time because it will help her to deal with the stress. And if worst come to worst. I'm sure your uncle would take you in. He seemed like a nice guy when I met him a few months ago," Yumi said.

"Uncle Conrad is a good guy. I'm surprised you liked him with the whole mechanic type he is," Ulrich said.

"He's funny too. Like his joke about the rat and the beer can. I couldn't stop laughing," Yumi giggled. "And if worst comes to worst. You could stay with us. Only I'm sure my dad would be a little strict at first."

"Like he isn't strict when I visit anyway. The one time we were watching TV and he got mad because you were leaning on me. I thought he was going to get his samurai suit and kill me," Ulrich said as both Yumi and himself laughed a little.

"Thanks Yumi. I needed some cheering up," Ulrich said.

"It's what girlfriends are for Ulrich," she said as she kissed him on the lips.

* * *

Ulrich's mind snapped back to the sound of a roaring engine from his Overbike. He looked up to see Aelita flying overhead and Odd on his Overboard. They left the crystal field and came to a large moss like structure overlaying the river. It looked like a large thick glowing tree, only it was extremely thin and small.

Ulrich noticed up on the hill the floating Pyramid. It was shiny and really smooth. It was jet black, almost crystalline. And the top piece of it floated off the base of the pyramid, while the rest floated off the ground with a white stream of light under it. The pyramid sat on a large cliff overlooking the entire area. It looked almost as if the entire sector was built around it.

Ulrich hit the brake on his bike. Aelita landed and Odd jumped off his board as they noticed what was up on the cliff looking down on them.

"Uhh guys. Tell me I'm not seeing this!" Odd said.

"You're seeing it," Aelita said.

Sitting on top of the pyramid was a large bird like monster. The Phoenix . And below it next to the pyramid was the group of monsters. Krabs, Sentries, Defenders, Blocks and Kankrelats. And Tarantulas. Dozens of them standing in a row. But there was also something on the bottom of the cliff. Sitting at the bottom was a pair of Megatanks.

"Well… there they are… I bet I get more than you with my new weapons," Odd joked as he pumped his fist, causing it to make a clicking noise.

"You're on," Ulrich said as he pulled out his swords. Aelita held out her hand as a pink orb formed in her palm. She noticed how it looked different. It looked like it had a white center instead of a regular pink center.

She heard a loud noise as the pair of Megatanks began to roll towards them, followed by the Blocks and Kankrelats.

Ulrich ran towards them as Aelita jumped into the air. Odd ran close behind Ulrich with both arms firing. Odd managed to hit a block and a Kankrelat as they exploded into pieces. But the other Kankrelats fired a simultaneous volley of lasers. Odd jumped high into the air as he flipped high over the laser fire. He landed on his hands and vaulted himself forward. As he passed through the air, he fired two arrow shots at the firing monsters. One arrow collided in midair while the other struck a Block, causing it to fall over from the impact and explode. Ulrich slid under the laser fire as he leapt to his feet. Aelita flew overhead and fired several laser shots. She managed to wipe out the remaining Kankrelats. She heard a roaring noise as a swarm of Hornets appeared out of nowhere. They fired several shots as Aelita weaved back and forth, avoiding the laser shots. She formed several Energy orbs in her hands as she fired three different shots. She took out one Hornet but the other two fired at the same time. Aelita dodged one but the other hit her in the wing. Aelita began to fall in a downward spiral; the whole sky was spinning as she screamed the whole way down. Aelita waved her hand over her bracelet as her wings disappeared.

"Odd, Ulrich, it's Aelita. Help her!!!!" Jeremy said frantically. Odd whistled his fingers as the overboard flew down behind him. He jumped into the air and landed on the board as he flew upwards towards her location.

"Laser arrow!!!" Odd shouted as he fired two Arrows at the hornets. One arrow hit a hornet while the other hornet swerved to the left. Odd leveled out his Overboard. Aelita landed on the board. At first she felt like she landed on there perfectly. But then she felt gravity take hold and she began to lean to the left. Aelita yelled as she suddenly felt her footing slip as she fell off the board. She began to fall when she felt Odd's hand grab her. However what he saw wasn't a pretty sight.

As Aelita began to fall, Odd had attempted to reach for her but also lost his footing as well. He was however able to grab his Overboard with his tail. He was holding on to Aelita with one hand while he was attempting to grab his board with the other.

"Odd!!! Look out!" Jeremy shouted as the last Hornet made its way towards them. Odd tried to hurry but the Hornet was gaining speed. Its stinger glowed as Aelita cried out a little. Odd reached for his board and touched it. His fingers slipped and caused him to loose his tail's grasp on the board. He almost let totally go, but managed to grab a hold at the last minute. Aelita let go with one of her hands and held on to Odd with the other as she tried to fire a energy field at the Hornet, but her aim was off due to the shaking from Odd's attempt to pull himself back on the board. The Hornet stopped short of the board. Aelita tried hard to aim at the Hornet but was unable to get a clear shot.

Suddenly there was a distinct slicing noise. The Hornet split into two pieces as it exploded. Behind the former Hornet was a familiar Ninja girl smiling in its place.

"YUMI!!!!" Odd and Aelita said at the same time.

"Thank god" Ulrich thought as he sliced a Tarantula's cannon off.

"Did you guys miss me?" Yumi said as she held her hands up to her head. A faint white glow appeared. Both Aelita and Odd found themselves bathed in the white light as they were placed back on the board.

"Did you get your upgrade?" Aelita asked.

Yumi held up her new fan. It looked much like her old one, only there was something different.

"Watch this," Yumi said as she used her telekinesis again. The fans were covered in white once again as the fan suddenly separated into several sharp blades. She moved a few to show exactly what it was that the upgrade had given them.

"Way cool. It's like controllable shrapnel now," Odd said.

"HEY GUYS!!!!" Ulrich yelled at the group of fascinated teens. The trio looked down to see a group of Sentries and Tarantulas fighting one single yellow coated teen. Ulrich cut one Tarantula in half down the middle as he responded to the others.

"AM I INTERUPTING ANYTHING!!!!!???"

Yumi flew the Overwing down and jumped off it, landing right behind her boyfriend. Ulrich stabbed a Sentry right in the chest and kicked it away as Yumi threw one of her fans towards one of the Megatanks. The Megatank closed its outer shell as it blocked the fan.

"I was worried about you. I didn't want to leave you in the tower alone," Ulrich said as he blocked a laser shot.

"I appreciate the concern but you know I can…," Yumi paused as she tossed a fan that destroyed the final Kankrelats. "Hold my own."

Odd fired several rounds of laser arrows into the monster column. He missed every one though.

"Man this is hard," Odd said as Aelita used her energy orb to block a shot. Aelita watched as the laser turned blue, entered her arm and into the white oval bracelet.

"Try your upgrades then," Aelita said.

Odd looked down at his arm and looked at the small screen that was on his arm. "Let's try this wave looking one," Odd said as he pressed it. His hand glowed orange as the upgrade activated. When the glow cleared the result was a small round tube with a metal ball on the end. He looked puzzled.

"Jeremy? Why do I have a small radio antenna on my arm?"

"It's a wave burst. It shoots a large wave of electricity towards your targets. It doesn't do much damage but when more waves hit, it entangles the target with the other wave shots and destroys it."

"Kind of like the Needler on Halo… cool," Odd said. Odd aimed the Wave Burst at a Defender that was standing behind a Megatank, issuing orders. The Waves scattered around the Defender; some missed while others hit the Defender. The Waves connected inside the Defender's body and sliced it in half.

"WOW!!! AWSOME!!!"

The remaining Defender pointed towards the sky and grunted loudly as the two Krabs pointed towards the sky and fired at the Overboard. Odd swerved in and out, but realized he was off balance. He had to loose some weight.

"Aelita I need to drop you off with Ulrich and Yumi. I can't maneuver too well with the extra weight in the back," Odd said. Aelita nodded in agreement. Odd flew down to the ground as Aelita jumped off. As she landed on the ground she rolled up and rolled along the ground. She immediately stood up and ran towards Ulrich and Yumi, firing Energy orbs at the two Megatanks that were rolling towards Yumi and Ulrich.

"Welcome to the party," Ulrich said.

"Well there is only two Krabs, a Sentry, a pair of Megatanks, a Defender and… Big bird," Jeremy said as the Phoenix fluttered its wings a little as it watched.

"What do you think its doing?" Aelita said.

"I'm not sure; I'll keep an eye on it," Jeremy said.

"I really can't wait to get out of this sector. I miss the Desert sector," Yumi said.

"At least we don't have Xervix or those damn Titan guys here," Ulrich said.

Yumi watched the Megatank as it rolled towards them. Ulrich and Aelita watched as well. The Tank opened up revealing the soft insides and the main firing cannon. The cannon hummed louder and louder until a large crystalline wave fired from it. The wave was like a laser except it was solid and extremely dangerous. The impact from the crystal was enough to deal a massive amount of damage from one hard hit.

"Incoming!!!" Yumi yelled. The Megatank fired a red shot at the trio. They quickly jumped out of the way.

Yumi slid to the left as she watched the red glass like shot slide past her. It retracted back and into the Megatank. Yumi heard another pulsating noise from her left side.

"Look out!!" Aelita yelled as she tackled Yumi. The second Megatank fired a shot sideways. The Megatank fired from its side so that the blast radius fired in a large spread.

Ulrich saw the shot coming towards him and used his sword to block it. The shot continued to push him backwards, as Ulrich pushed more to try and fight the shot from hitting him.

Yumi threw her fan at the Megatank's open center. The fan sliced into the eye socket, causing the Monster to explode. Odd swooped down and fired another wave buster shot at the Defender. The Defender flipped in the air as it tried to avoid Odd's weapons fire.

Odd looked at his wrist and looked at the other symbols. "Let's try this one," Odd said as he touched the one with the Ice symbol on it. His hand glowed blue, then it looked liked it was covered in ice. Odd moved his hand as he stared in awe at the sight.

"Now that's cool as Ice," Odd said.

"Odd please… no jokes," Jeremy said over the mic.

Odd aimed his hand at the final Defender. The Defender fired a few orb shots at Odd. Odd weaved back and forth. Odd fired a large icy orb. The orb hit the ground next to the

Defender. The ice spread around the general area, grabbing the Defender's leg. The Defender tried to move, but was unable to; its leg was incased in a sheet of ice.

The Defender looked up in time to see Odd flying back down again. Odd fired another ice shot; this one hit the Defender and incased it in a large ice crystal. Odd lowered the OverBoard low enough to plow right through the Defender's frozen body.

"AWSOME, AWSOME, AWSOME!!!!!!" Odd said as he pounded his chest. "I AM AWSOME!!!"

Suddenly there was a loud noise from below; a shot from the Megatank hit the Overboard, causing the purple feline to fall to the ground and skid to a halt. Odd landed with his rear in the air and his head on the ground.

"So are you still Awesome Odd?" Aelita asked.

"That dang Megatank ruined my moment of Awesomeness," Odd said as he jumped in the air and fired an ice shot at the tank. However the shot ricochet off the shell of the tank as it closed itself again.

The four warriors surrounded the final Megatank as it spun around quickly, trying to keep track of the other warriors.

"Uh guys," Jeremy said.

"Not now. We're finally almost done," Odd joked.

"Guys," Jeremy said again.

"Not now can it wait?" Ulrich asked.

Suddenly a large foot came crashing down, destroying the Megatank and causing the gang to fall over. The dust that was kicked up from the impact blinded Ulrich for a few minutes, until he saw a faint glow coming from the area of the impact. He slowly looked up to see the huge form of the Phoenix staring down at him.

"I tried to tell you guys," Jeremy said.

The Phoenix let loose a low bellow, similar to a whale singing. It suddenly looked down towards Aelita. Its mouth opened into a tri beak. Fire started to glow from its mouth. Aelita stood up in time for Ulrich to tackle her. As he grabbed her the phoenix let loose a large pillar of digital fire. The area where Aelita was standing was completely destroyed.

"Ok so now what do we do?" Odd asked.

"We still need to get Aelita to the pyramid. But don't worry. The Upgrades should help. Odd, your upgrades that I added will help lower the Phoenix 's life points. Ulrich should get Aelita to the Pyramid while Odd and Yumi deal with the Phoenix . If Odd can hit the fire's point of origin, it will cause the phoenix's fire to go out and leave it open to attack," Jeremy said.

"Wait… how could there be fire on a virtual world?" Odd asked.

"Well I could have told you the real reason but I figured that you would understand it better this way," Jeremy said.

"Point taken," Odd said. Odd switched to his normal arrow as Yumi pulled out both of her fans. Ulrich pulled out his swords as Aelita stood ready to run. The phoenix looked down at the group of heroes. It opened its mouth as it roared in defiance of the challengers that stood in its way. It looked down and fired a fireball straight at the group. Odd and Yumi jumped out of the way while Ulrich and Aelita ran towards the steps of the Pyramid. The Phoenix jumped into the air as Yumi ran towards a wall. The Phoenix jumped into the air as Odd ran underneath it. He fired a few laser arrows, only to see them explode before they hit the giant bird.

"Duhh! Bird's on fire. Arrows won't hurt it," Odd said. Odd whistled as his Overboard flew down in front of him. He jumped on it and hit the accelerator button. Yumi ran towards the wall as she jumped on to it. She ran up the side of the rock cliff as the phoenix approached. She jumped off and threw one of her fans at the Phoenix while she landed on a stalactite.

The fan exploded on contact as it caught the Phoenix 's attention. The bird turned around and fired a second fireball towards Yumi. The female ninja jumped out of the way as the fireball exploded.

"You guys need to aim for the opening in the Phoenix 's fire. The fire is acting like a shield generator. Anything gets near it, the fire will destroy it. You need to hit it with one of Odd's ice arrows. The weak point to the phoenix's armor is based in the back of the neck. You will need to get up there and get it done. Meanwhile Ulrich, get Aelita into the Pyramid. And see what is in there," Jeremy said.

Ulrich and Aelita finally reached the entrance to the pyramid. It was smooth as glass and looked like it was made of some type of liquid substance. Ulrich ran his hands over it as it rippled from the effect. Suddenly one of the ripples turned white, revealing an entrance. The entrance was similar to the entrance to a tower. Aelita slowly made her way through as Ulrich followed.

Yumi ran along the ground as Odd flew down close to the ground. Yumi jumped on board as the Overboard accelerated into the air, with the Phoenix close behind. Odd looked behind him to see the beak of the monster was close to his tail. Odd yipped a little as he accelerated harder in an attempt to save himself and Yumi.

The Overboard flew in between a pair of rocks. Yumi looked behind her in time to see the Phoenix fly through the same opening of rocks. Odd weaved in and out of a pair of rocks only for the Phoenix to crash straight through them.

"What are you doing?" Yumi asked as Odd flew in a straight line.

"I got an idea," Odd said as he grabbed hold of Yumi by the waist. Odd jumped off the Overboard as a fireball from the Phoenix hit it, causing it to explode into several tiny pieces. Odd jumped high enough that he was near a stalactite. He flipped upside down as Yumi screamed.

Yumi closed her eyes as she prepared for a long drop. Suddenly she felt herself stop moving. She opened her eyes to see Odd using his tail to hold on to the stalactite.

"Ahh yes. Silly me," Yumi said.

Odd watched as the phoenix fly by, then he noticed a red crystal floating on its back. It was a small ruby which was generating the fire. "Well that's not a hidden weapon," Odd said as he fired an ice arrow at the crystal. The crystal froze to a block of ice and shattered. The Phoenix screamed as the fire wrapping around its body dissipated. Odd let go of the stalactite as the two warriors jumped down onto the Phoenix .

"Now it's my turn," Yumi said. She held out her last fan and used her telekinesis to control it. Suddenly her eyes went white as the fan shattered into several sharp pieces. She then threw her hands forward as the shards swirled around the Phoenix . The shards sliced into the Phoenix 's skin. The beast roared in pain as one shard hit it straight in the Xana symbol. Yumi and Odd ran to the end of the bird's tail feathers as they jumped off in time for the Phoenix 's body to fall apart and explode. Odd and Yumi fell for a few feet until Odd grabbed hold of Yumi's arm and grabbed a rock face. Odd helped Yumi as she climbed up the ledge. As she stood up, Odd's hand slipped.

"Yumi help," Odd said. Yumi tried to reach for the purple feline. Odd felt a sudden tug on his lower half. He looked up to see Yumi had grabbed hold of his tail.

"OH this is giving me a virtual wedgie," Odd said as Yumi started to pull him up.

"Well it was either that or let you fall," Yumi said as Odd pulled himself up.

"So," Yumi said as she looked around. "How do we get down?"

Aelita and Ulrich entered the Pyramid. It looked like a tower only… bigger. There was a tube of what looked like white fluid flowing through the center. There was also a pair of holo panels and several wires standing in front of the Tube. On the wall next to the Holo Panels was a large holographic layout of the entire sector. The Pyramid was at the very center of the sector.

Ulrich whistled in amazement as he glanced around. "Can this Computer get any weirder?" Ulrich asked.

Aelita slowly made her way to the two Holo panels. She ran her fingers across one as the panel came to life; it showed her everything about the sector.

"This is weird. It says here these run on sectors act as backup sectors. And the Pyramids help to control everything in the sectors, from their design to their function. The Pyramids are all connected to the central data hub in sector 5. And can only be accessed from this Pyramid," Aelita said.

"So then this is the entire control system for the sector?" Jeremy asked.

"Right and no doubt the other new sectors would have something similar. And it also shows the location of the other Pyramids in the older sectors. It also looks as if the Pyramid is keeping something," Aelita said, to which Ulrich looked at her in confusion.

"What does it look like?" Jeremy asked.

"Some kind of file similar to my f… Franz Hopper's diary. Let me see if I can find it," Aelita said. The small pink haired girl flipped through several screens until she came to a screen that looked weird. It showed a bar above it and a download screen. On the other screen, a hand print scanner appeared. Aelita placed her hand on the screen as the hand print scanner scanned her hand.

The screen then displayed, "Identified… AELITA… CODE: CARTHAGE "

The white tube then turned blue as the fluid raced through the tube. The symbols on the wall raced in several different colors. Outside the Pyramid, Yumi and Odd watched from the Pyramid's base as a bluish white light shot out from the top of the pyramid and into the ceiling. Inside the pyramid, the screen showed a small fragmented code. Aelita and Ulrich looked on in disbelief as they watched what happened.

Back in the lab, the Computer monitors flashed as a file was downloaded onto the monitor screen. It showed a set of numbers and figures as it downloaded. Jeremy and William watched in a combination of panic and wonder. When the download was finished the screen came back on, with a strange symbol on it. When Jeremy clicked on it, it displayed a number.

"What the hell is this?" Jeremy said.

Back in the Pyramid, Aelita came out from behind a battle ready Ulrich. Yumi and Odd entered the Pyramid as Aelita walked to the terminal. The terminal read, "Download complete. Key 1/5 complete."

"What the hell does it mean a key?" Odd asked.

"I'm bringing you guys back to the lab. I think… that this is what Xervix was talking about. This might have something to do with Aelita's … Legacy," Jeremy said.

The four warriors disappeared in a cluster of bluish white pixels.

The three Cylinders hissed open as Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita appeared. As Yumi stepped out of the scanner, it closed and opened again to reveal Odd. Yumi stood out and stretched as Ulrich tried to loosen his head. Odd stumbled out as his legs felt as if they were asleep. Aelita merely walked to the elevator and stood inside it. The other three looked at her; she acted like she was perfectly ok.

"What are you guys waiting for?" Aelita asked. The trio of heroes looked at her both impressed and confused. Eventually all three walked to the elevator as the door closed. The elevator rose slowly up to the top floor of the lab where Jeremy and William were standing at the computer screen. Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd slowly made their way over while Aelita walked right past them. She walked over and stood next to Jeremy. The trio merely stopped and looked at her. Usually she would be like them, walking a little slow and tired looking. But she seemed more chipper and awake now.

"Are you… feeling ok?" Yumi asked.

"I feel great. Honestly I'm not sure why I feel so good. But I'm not complaining," Aelita responded. "So what did you find?" Aelita asked as she looked at Jeremy.

"Well… I think it's a… coded text. It's kind of like a code that when linked together with the other pieces of the main code, will form the main code. But what it is I'm not sure. But what I did notice is that the map downloaded just like how Aelita can shut down activated towers. She can only download the code. Aelita and no one else," Jeremy said.

"So that's why Xervix wanted to capture Aelita. He must be after the code," William said. To which Jeremie nodded.

"Do you think this has something to do with the System thing?" Ulrich asked.

"Most definitely. For right now I think it's safe to say we need to access the rest of the Pyramids as soon as possible," Jeremy said.

"Not tonight man…. We just fought big bird, Tarter sauce and Athlete's foot," Odd said.

"Don't worry Odd. It's going on 9 o'clock. I think it's safe to say you guys have done enough fighting," Jeremy said as he got up out of the lab chair.

"Want to go hit a burger joint before we sneak back to school?" Odd suggested.

The others agreed as they made their way to the elevator. Aelita noticed Jeremy had gotten back in the computer chair and was looking at something. Aelita turned around and walked over to the chair.

"Come on Jeremy. This code thing can wait," Aelita said.

"You guys go ahead… I'll be right behind…,"Jeremy attempted to say until Aelita shut off the monitor. Jeremy turned to see a small pink haired girl with her arms folded and a stern look on her face.

"Then again it could wait till tomorrow," Jeremy finally admitted. Aelita responded with her usual smile as Jeremy walked alongside of her to the elevator.

"Does Yumi do that to you a lot?" Odd asked Ulrich.

"A lot."

* * *

The night sky was crisp and clear. The heat was starting to come back. As the group left the factory, they simultaneously moaned from the humidity. Yumi and Ulrich left the entrance holding hands while Odd and William followed behind.

"You shot me," William said.

"What? Oh come on… dark evil you moved and made me shot you," Odd remarked.

"You still shot me though," William replied. All the while Yumi and Ulrich had stopped to wait for Aelita and Jeremy. As Odd and William passed by, the couple let out a slight chuckle.

"There they are," Ulrich pointed out. The blonde boy and the pink girl stood in the doorway of the factory.

"Come on Jeremy let's go," Aelita said.

"Hang on Aelita. There… there is something I have to ask you," Jeremy said.

Yumi and Ulrich heard what Jeremy said. They both looked at each other with a look of excitement.

"Did you hear that?" Yumi said. Ulrich nodded.

"Well actually there is something I need to ask you too," Aelita said.

"You first," they both said at the same time.

"Well… we have been best friends for quite some time now. And we have enjoyed a lot of things," Jeremy said.

"Yeah… the Subdigitals… good movies…," Aelita said.

"My mom's cooking…," Jeremy added.

"And all the jokes about Jim," Aelita added as they laughed at the same time.

"I also owe you a lot Jeremy. If it hadn't been for you… I would have died a long time ago; in fact many times before. If it wasn't for you… I would be an orphan on the streets with nowhere to live or go. And if it wasn't for you and your parents… I wouldn't have a home outside of the school," Aelita said as she took a hold of Jeremy's hand.

"Aelita?" Jeremy asked.

"Here they go!!!" Ulrich said as they stayed far enough that Aelita and Jeremy wouldn't think they were listening.

"Yes Jeremy?" Aelita said as her face looked a little red.

"I'm going to win," Yumi said as Ulrich gently hit her in the shoulder.

"Would… Would… Would…," Jeremy began to ask as he started to sweat.

"OHHHH he's going to seize up," Yumi said.

"Would you… Would… Wo…," Jeremy continued until Aelita put a finger on his lips.

"Jeremy… would you like to go out sometime? Just the two of us?" Aelita asked in a calm voice.

William and Odd turned around when they heard it. Yumi and Ulrich froze when they heard it. The bugs, frogs, and crickets in the area suddenly stopped making their usual night music. It seemed as if the whole world froze when the words finally came out of one of their mouths.

"…Yes," Jeremy said in a calm voice. Aelita smiled and giggled at the news as Jeremy smiled and wiped his forehead.

"YES!!!!!" Odd said loudly as he suddenly hugged William. William tried to pry himself from the frantic boy.

Yumi did a strange victory dance where she shaked her hips and cheerd in celebration. Ulrich laughed in joy as he watched both Jeremy and Aelita and Odd and William. And then realized why it was Yumi was dancing.

"How long have you four been standing there?" Aelita asked.

"Long enough," Yumi said with a smile.

"Mr. and Ms. Einstein. It's about damn time. Hell I figured you two would get together before Yumi and Ulrich did," Odd said.

As Aelita and Jeremy walked down towards the bridge, the others began to head off to get something to eat as well. As Yumi and Ulrich put their hands on each others hips, Yumi leaned over and whispered into Ulrich's ear.

"Your gonna help me clean my room first thing in the mourning"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24.

Echos Of The Past

Hotel Holiday Inn, Delaware

The alarm clock hit 7:00 AM. Travis sat in the corner of the room while Jessica and George sat at the table. They had gone through several bottles of alcohol as they tried to comprehend what they had just seen on the video. Jessica was slouched in her chair as she looked at the locket on the necklace.

"He had to have known from the start that it would lead to this. Even after he married Antea, he knew they would want the child for this… System thing," Jessica said as she stood up.

"But what I don't get is what the hell this System thing is. Is it an artifact or a machine?" George asked. "I mean it has to be important enough for the guy to flee the country and hide in a place where no one could look for him."

"In any case… he has been 100% right about everything. From the labs' destruction, to what we're doing. If he is still right then that means he is dead. And that his daughter is in the care of complete strangers," Travis said. "Or she could be dead as well. Poor thing," Travis said.

Jessica began to tear up at the thought of all that Waldo Schaffer's daughter had been through. All that she had seen, suffered and lost. All of it gave Jessica cold shivers.

"So we need to speak to the director then; we need to head to Amines. It's our only and closet lead," Travis said as he picked up one of the CDs. He looked at it as he thought about what it might have been like for Schaffer to go through all the hardship he had seen.

______________________________________________________________________________

Alaska 1972

The large cargo plane flew across the Alaskan wilderness. The forest was covered in snow and ice from the ice storm that had hit earlier that day. Normally no plane or aircraft would fly in this weather, but this was no ordinary aircraft, nor any ordinary circumstances.

Inside were a large number of scientists and solders. The soldiers walked the isle with their guns on their hips and strapped to their backs. This movement made some of the scientists nervous. But one scientist was already nervous. A tall man with short grey hair and glasses. He nervously chewed on a piece of gum; one of the other scientists claimed that it would help with the pressure from the descending plane. It was one of the first times he had flown in a plane, and he was worried it would be his last. He nervously twitched as the plane dropped lower in altitude.

"First time flying sir?" a voice said from behind him.

"Yeah…. Yeah. If god had wanted man to fly he would have given him wings," the grey haired man said.

"But instead, God gave man the knowledge on how to fly," the voice from behind said. The voice came from an older freckled man. He had curly red hair and dressed in a nice suit. "Dr. Ludwig VanWolfhousen," the man said in German enriched English.

"Waldo Schaeffer," Waldo said as he introduced himself, shaking hands with Ludwig.

"So what are you a doctor of?" Waldo asked.

"I am one of the premier doctors in the field of energy research and development. The team I am on in Germany is close to the breakthrough of the century," Ludwig said with a gleam in his eyes.

"What's that?" Waldo asked.

"A clean way to use the restroom," Ludwig said.

Waldo stared at Ludwig for a few minutes as he tried to swallow just what it was Ludwig had just said.

"That's… interesting," Waldo said as the fasten seatbelts sign came on.

"Every day, millions of gallons of water are used to flush human waste down the sewer, a literal waste. I plan to use concentrated amounts of air to flush all matter down the drain," Ludwig said.

"Well I'm sure that's a… ok idea," Waldo said as the plane suddenly landed on a freshly plowed runway. The soldiers stood up first and grabbed their duffle bags and gear while the scientists stood up with their suitcases and luggage. As Waldo left the plane he noticed the runway he now stood on. It was entrenched by several large surrounding mountains. The sky was cloudy; no sign of any stars or moon. And the temperature was enough to make a grown man shiver. Waldo turned around and looked at the other buildings. There were hangars and three large buildings. Almost like some type of complex or fort. There were several radar dishes and vehicles, and what also appeared to be a large drilling machine. Then he noticed it; inside one of the hangars he saw a large submersible. It was yellow with four large metallic arms, and on the front it had the words _MAL-TECH Industries_ on it.

The group of scientists and military personal made their way into the main building. It was well lit and warm. Inside there was no pictures or clocks, no calendars. Just a long corridor with yellow colored bricks and white tiles. Near the entrance was a large security area, complete with a metal detector, x-ray machine, and bins for holding items. At the gate was a group of men dressed in black suits, wearing black sunglasses. The only thing on them that wasn't black was the white undershirt. They were checking all of the scientists' luggage and equipment, while at the same time they were checking the soldiers' gear and equipment.

One solider yelled as a security guard tried to take his assault rifle. He reached for it but before he could, five agents sprung on him and wrestled him to the ground; the other soldiers pulled out their weapons and pointed them at the agents. The agents pulled out their weapons. Each agent carried a pistol that was loaded for its job. They were equipped with silencers, acog scopes, laser pointers and a flashlight that was bright enough to daze and disorient the person it was pointed at. The scientist's hit the floor in fear as the soldiers yelled at the agents. The agents just stood there, not saying a word, not moving at all. Finally a military colonel dressed in the standard brass wardrobe walked in as his men lowered the guns, shouting at the soldiers.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!???" the colonel asked.

"Sir they attempted to take our guns from us, sir," the soldier replied.

The colonel's face turned red as he turned to a group of suited men that were heading their way. "What is the meaning of this? A solider is nothing without his gun."

"Don't worry. They will be allowed to keep their side arms; we are merely going to store the rifles until the time has come for your soldiers to leave. Mal-Tech's agents will be providing security during this time period," the man said as he approached.

" Washington informed me that my men were in charge of all security with this area. Not Mal-Tech," the colonel said.

"Actually that's not true," the man said as he stepped into view. He was a young man with jet black hair, and looked Mexican in decent. " Washington told you that you were to protect the scientists until they reached the outpost. After that you are to remain on this base and assist us in any way shape or form."

"Mister Estrada!!! You can not tell military personnel what to do!!" the colonel said.

"Actually I can. See this is land purchased from the government by Mal-Tech. It is not a piece of America any more. And we have been granted permission by the pentagon to foresee that this project works as it should. If you don't like it, the nearest town is several miles away. I'm sure you and your men can make it there by morning," Estrada said.

The colonel's face grew red in color as he ordered his men to lower their guns. Estrada snapped his fingers as the agents holstered their guns as well. The soldiers took the clips out of their guns and placed them on the tables. The scientists slowly began to stand up. Waldo slowly made his way up as he looked at the man who had put the colonel in his place. A task not easily done. The man walked away with three other agents. He walked back to what looked like a large bulkhead equipped with a safe like door.

"Agent Conner. What was the latest update on the object?" Estrada said.

"All readings indicate it is intact, and according to structural analysis, it is made of the same material of the objects that fell in Russia . Only unlike the Russian object, it's bigger and intact. And no sign of any form of energy leakage," Conner said.

"And what of the other part of the object that we excavated? How is it and its cargo?" Estrada said.

"All signs show that the object is intact. It is currently in a cryo tank. The structure seems mostly made out of crystal with a faint rhythmic pattern inside the structure," Connors said.

The agents walked into an office as Estrada sat down at his desk.

"Naturally when we find the crystal, we must hide it from the government and give them the main structure. The crystal we excavated we will take with us. As for the second smaller object that we found. Let the government take it, we can track it down and retrieve it with project Carthage in the works. All we need is a team of scientists to help work on it," Estrada said.

An agent walked Waldo down a corridor of rooms. The doors to these rooms were clear glass, with a red light hanging above the doorway. It also had a black screen on it where the agent placed his hand on as it opened.

"Here is your room. 230. Your roommates are inside waiting," the agent said as Waldo stepped inside. He was greeted by a loud squeaking noise, followed by a loud fluttering from his right. Waldo dropped his luggage as he fell on a bed and the person lying on it.

"What the Sam hell!!!" the voice said as Waldo stood up. As Waldo calmed down he realized that the noise was that of a parrot. And the man he fell on looked like a truck driver. He wore a St Louis Cardinals hat with a red shirt. He was a tall man with a large bushy beard.

"Easy there partner. You look like you're about to have a heart attack. That's just Barney. My pet parrot. The only thing he will hurt is a fly." the man said. The bird, Barney, squeaked as it said "Good morning."

"Guess you're roommate number three. Name's Daemon, Daemon Randall, rig driver. I drive the underwater submersible you probably noticed on your way in. That's my baby, Hammerhead," Daemon said as he introduced himself.

"Waldo Schaeffer, I'm one of the scientists that just arrived here. They recruited me straight out of MIT. I majored in computer programming, and took a minor in archeology. They asked me to join up shortly after I graduated," Waldo said as he sat down on his bed.

"Talk about straight out off the flight deck and into the air. So where you from bucko?" Daemon asked.

" Los Angeles , California. Born and raised," Waldo said.

"Dirty city. I hate it," Daemon said. "I'm from good old Saint Louis. Born and raised."

Waldo shook hands With Dameon. How could some one who looked like a monster truck driver actually be capable of piloting a submersible. He thought must subsmersible drivers where young kids but this guy was almost in hid 40's.

"You know. You look pretty young to have grey hair kid. Whats the deal with that?" Daemon asked.

"I was born with Grey hair..it's a form of albino." Waldo said as he laid his breifcase on the bed.

"Pretty nice place here isint it?" Waldo said.

The room had a blue lighting to it. It was large enough for 6 people instead of 3. Their was a large shelf section next to waldos bed and on the wall was a large window, the window peered out into the ocean where Waldo could see a large deep blue glow coming from the endless water. It seemed to stretch on for miles. Waldo could also see the top of the ocean, a vast endless sheet of ice coverd the surface as he saw a small fish swim by the window.

"Shit.. My guess is that we must be several miles under the surface in a type of underwater rig center or something." Daemon said as he fed Barney some seeds.

"Barney, Barney" the parrot said.

Waldo opened his suitcase as he heard Barney squawk again. This time another person was frightened from the loud bird. Waldo turned to see a tall muscular man with a pair of tattoos on his arm and brown hair. He looked like one of those army guys you would see in basic Hollywood movies. Only a little taller.

"Can you seriously move your bird away from the damn door? It's going to either kill the next person who enters the room or the bird," the man said.

"Excuse me Frenchy. But this is America , not France so you have no say in the matter," Daemon said.

"I happen to be a general in the French army. And you're a civilian. So I'm telling you…," the man said until Daemon cut him off.

"You're to damn young to be a general in the army. If you are then that's the reason your country never won a dam war," Daemon said.

The man finally walked to the other half of the room, failing to notice Waldo until he brushed past him. "Who are you?" Waldo asked.

"Oh I didn't notice you, sorry. My name is Edward Della Robbia. I'm one of the only few French military advisors asked to help out with this whole thing. I'm part of France's Scientific military division," Edward said.

"Waldo Schaeffer," Waldo introduced himself and explained his story as to how he was brought here.

"That probably means you will be working under me. We're in charge of studying the thing underwater. Which also means Mister Daemon there will be helping with it as well," Edward said.

"So what are we looking for anyways?" Waldo asked.

"They will tell you. We're not supposed to say anyways. As far as it goes, we don't exist until this job is done," Edward said. "So how old are you?"

"24. What about you?" Waldo asked.

"27, single though. Trying to work on that with that one scientist from radiology, Lisa Ledgent. She's from France like me; we went to school together," Edward said.

"Great. They're multiplying," Daemon joked.

"Hey if you don't like it pal then tell it to some one who cares," Edward said. To which Daemon flipped the bird towards him.

Waldo finished putting his clothes up in the special dresser that was given to the staff that was staying at the base. He had just finished when the door opened. Standing in the doorway was one of the agents. He was a tall slender man with curly blond hair. He looked straight at Waldo.

"Mr. Schaeffer? I'm agent Thompson. Dr. Estrada will see you now," Thompson said. Waldo stood up off his bed and walked to the door. He turned around to see Edward and Daemon looking at him. Waldo slowly stepped out into the hallway as the door closed. Waldo and Thompson made their way to the main hall where the isle was notably larger. In the hallway there was a golf cart with another agent waiting for them. Waldo and Thompson stepped inside as the cart drove off towards its destination. As it drove Thompson looked towards Waldo.

"Everything you're about to see is classified beyond the degree of classify. Any word of this outside the walls of this facility will result in a life sentence. Maybe even a firing squad,"

Thompson said as the golf cart entered the main facility. The lab was huge. Roughly the size of a football field. There were many different work stations, all equipped with the latest in computer terminals and lab equipment. All throughout the floor were several scientists, all working on what appeared to be glass objects. The kart then drove by a large hole in the floor. The hole opened into the ice covered ocean floor. In the ice was a clear cut hole, which looked to have been cut with a laser or some type of cutting tool. Above the hole was a large drill like object, only instead of a drill, there was some type of lens equipped to a large piece of machinery that ended in a cone just above the hole. Waldo had never seen anything like this before in his life; it looked to him like something off a James Bond Movie or some form of science fiction.

The cart went up a large ramp as another cart came down the ramp going the opposite direction. Waldo saw it carried several of the soldiers he came in with. The cart turned the bin as it arrived at its destination. A large garage like building that sat off to the left of the main lab.

"Now remember. No questions and no complaints. I'm sure a worthless scientist like yourself can do that," Thompson said as he gave Waldo a smug look. Waldo stepped out of the cart and walked up the steps of the building and up to the door.

Waldo knocked on the door of the office. He heard some one tell him to go ahead and come inside. Waldo walked inside of the main room. It was a large conference hall like room. The walls were dark blue. The only lighting in the room came from the ceiling, where only a few lights hanged. The table was long with a glass top. And underneath that glass was a wooden board.

"Sit down mister Schaeffer," a voice said from the other side of the room. Waldo pulled out one of the metal chairs and sat down. As he placed his hands on the table, the area around him lit up, illuminating his face.

"Waldo Schaeffer, age 24. Born out of Compton California , son to Harold and Emily Schaeffer. Only child. Graduated MIT at the top of his class. You're a work of art. A genius coming from a slum like L.A…," the voice said as it placed down a vanilla envelope. The envelope contained pictures of his parents, him and his friends.

"Uh that's right. But who are you?" Waldo asked.

"I am Emilio Estrada. Vice President to Mal-Tech. I am also in charge of the project here in Alaska," Estrada said as he came into the light.

"Can I ask a question?" Waldo asked.

Estrada nodded.

"Why did you bring me here?" Waldo asked.

Estrada flipped on a screen. It showed the ice shelf that the base was sitting off. It showed several sheets of ice, all circling around a small area where it had seemed a object had impacted a while back. Then it flipped over to an infrared map. It showed the ice in blue and the heat in red. But in the water, the water itself was completely red, indicating there was a large amount of heat under the water.

"Deep under the water, the average temperature is about 60 degrees. Far above normal for a current of water in this area. What's more is the temperature is not affecting the ice. The ice should melt but the thing is that the ice is actually growing," Estrada said as he pointed with a laser light.

"Then the navy discovered this," Estrada said as the map cleared away to an underwater photo. It showed a large crystal like structure which glowed underwater. A second photo showed the size of the structure. It was the size of a large building.

"A Navy DVR discovered it two weeks ago. The government contracted us to excavate it and study it. Its radiation signature is low but the material itself is unknown to the periodic table. And we're not sure how far down this object goes," Estrada said

"What is this? Is it… alien?" Waldo asked.

"We're not sure, but that's where your team comes into play. You will be helping with the computer research on the object with team 1. They're studying the main core of the crystal which seems to be the source of the heat signature. Understand?" Estrada asked.

Waldo nodded.

"What you see and what you hear stays in this building. Any leak of this to the media or outside sources will result in a life sentence. Understand?" Estrada said.

"Sure," Waldo said.

"Good," Estrada said as he clicked off the screen. He walked over to his chair and sat down at it and folded his arms "Now you will be one of the main teams here at the facility. And with your credentials you will be one of the main computer maintenance members here at the lab," Estrada said.

"Ok sure," Waldo said.

"Now go. And congrats on the position here," Estrada said as he walked over and shook Waldo's hand. Waldo turned and walked out the door as he noticed Estrada was placing a file on a cabinet that said on the front Waldo Schaffer.

Estrada picked up a remote and turned on the screen. The screen showed a lab with several scientists inside of it. There was also a large amount of equipment, computers, x-ray machines, and even a large tower like structure in the far corner. It was surrounded by a glass wall and two doors made of glass. On the glass there was a sign which read _Genramus_; it was a super computer. There were three men inside the room working on it. But the big prize was in the center of the room. A large crystalline prism. Ten feet tall and just as wide. Inside the crystal was a silhouette. It was curled up like a ball, but the scientists couldn't determine what it was. Some thought it was a liquid core; others believed it was an energy source. But the most fascinating thing about the object was that it was warm. It was constantly warm, even after it was pulled out of the frigid Arctic Ocean. Its temperature always stayed at a warm 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Crystal was held in place by several cables and metal rods. A light peered down from the ceiling of the room and illuminated the crystal. There had been several attempts to crack open the crystal. They had tried taking some industrial sized drills to it, but they were either stripped or broke in half. Then they tried something desperate. They created a diamond coated drill bit to try and cut their way in. However, the diamond shattered under the pressure of being pressed against the crystal.

Estrada clicked to another screen which showed a large vault; inside the vault were armed personal and several scientists in Hazmat suits, and several lasers that were beaming onto a small crystal orb. The orb glowed several different colors; it would glow red one minute and then blue and so forth.

There had been an incident a few days back where a scientist had actually touched the orb with his bare hands. The result was a bright glow running through the orb and into the scientist's hands. The scientist was quarantined off and kept in a facility owned by Mal-Tech just off the Philippines . The result from the accident literally changed the man in almost every way. It was remarkable. The man's entire body turned into a flow of electric energy for a few minutes until he found a way to turn it off. Further analysis would be necessary to discover how to reverse engineer the power that was granted by the orb.

Waldo walked back to his room, with the Agent following behind him. The agent was literally breathing down his neck. It made Waldo a little nervous; he felt as if this Thompson fellow had it out for him. He was constantly sneering at him and acting as if he was trying to be intimidating. The door to the room open as Waldo entered. Barney didn't squawk this time though; he was merely eating some seeds from out of his bowl. Waldo walked over to his bed, sat on it and looked out the window at the frozen snowy plains outside. It made him feel isolated, and confined. He noticed how most of the science team seemed a little on edge and a little timid and scared. He slowly took out a picture of his parents. They sat on a swing set smiling as they looked at the camera. Waldo put the picture next to his bed as he noticed a clear plastic package on his bed. Inside were a white lab coat and a name tag with his name and picture on it. It also showed his location and his allowed access to certain areas.

He took the coat out and placed it on the coat rack next to Barney's cage. He sat on his bed and took his shoes off as he laid there. Looking at the ceiling, he felt something was out of place. Something was much different here then just a secret military project. It felt as if something was… watching him or calling him. He rolled over and drifted to sleep.

But his dreams would show his future.

______________________________________________________________________________

Amines, France .

Aelita lay in bed. She was just beginning to wake up from a long night sleep. She had the nightmare again last night but it wasn't anything new to her. She felt the sun warm her face as she heard the birds outside her window chirping, whining from the already hot temperatures.

She stood up out of bed, still wearing her huge oversized shirt. She heard the alarm clock go off as the radio was playing _Never Too Late_ by Three Days Grace. It was her favorite theme. Yumi however had gone nuts over the new Greenday album. She proclaimed that if _Never Too Late _was Aelita and Jeremy's theme, then_ 21 Guns _was Yumi and Ulrich's theme.

Aelita reached over to shut off the radio when suddenly a pink spark jumped from her hand. The alarm suddenly shorted out in a sparking smoky wreck as it flew across the room. Aelita yipped in alarm as she jumped back. She looked at her hand and back at the clock as the charred remains smoked from the incident. Aelita looked around and grabbed a magazine. She rolled it up and flicked the clock. Nothing. She slowly walked over and picked up her phone. Then she felt it. That weird sensation as if she could feel the entire world around her again. But it felt familiar. As if she had this feeling before, even before the incident a few days ago on the playground.

Then it hit her. Lyoko. She had felt this sensation with the elongated elf ears she had whenever she was on Lyoko. She could hear everything, and in a sense, know everything that was going on around her.

Aelita changed into her newest clothes that Jeremy had bought her. A skirt with maroon leggings that went down to her knees. And a pink shirt with white angel wings on the back. She put on her shoes and walked out the door. She headed downstairs to the boys dorms and caught sight of William and Odd standing outside of Jeremy's dorm. She walked past a pair of boys as she walked up to them.

"Oh morning," William said as he leaned up against the wall. Odd smiled the same big goofy smile he normally smiled.

"Where's Jeremy?" Aelita asked.

"Well he is in his room changing, and Ulrich's still in the shower. No sign of Yumi yet," Odd said.

Aelita snuck past them as she knocked on the door. She heard the doorknob turn as the door opened to reveal a still sleepy Jeremy. His hair was still roughed up from sleeping. And his glasses were tilted on his face. And he had the imprint of a space bar and several other keys on his face. Aelita noticed this and put aside her concern and began to drum on Jeremy.

"Jeremy! Did you fall asleep at your computer again?" Aelita asked as Odd and William watched on.

"Uh no of course I didn't I mean…," Jeremy staggered as Aelita frowned and gave him a stare of both anger and disappointment. She folded her arms and tapped her foot.

"Jeremy. You know I can tell when you're lying. Because you always start sweating when you do," Aelita said as Odd whispered "busted," to which William nodded.

Sweat streamed down Jeremy's head as he finally admitted to his crime.

"Jeremy Dylan Belpois!" Aelita firmly said, "Do I need to strap you down to your bed at night?!"

"Dylan?" William asked as Odd giggled.

"It was my grandfather's name," Jeremy said. "Aelita I'm a teenage boy here. I can sleep where I want and…," Jeremy began as Aelita walked into his room and interrupted him.

"Your mother told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you do as you're told. Now don't make me call your mom and tell her you're doing it again," Aelita said, as she smiled and pinched Jeremy's cheek.

Odd couldn't hold it anymore as he busted into laughter. William tried to hide his laughter so as not to embarrass Jeremy.

"Odd! Don't make me come over there!" Aelita said as she looked at Odd. Odd stopped as William walked into the room.

"So you done embarrassing me?" Jeremy said as he walked over to his chair.

"Jeremy. Don't start staying up because of all this. You look the best in ages. No bags under your eyes, no stress, and you don't need to drink four cups of coffee in order to make it through the day. Don't do this to yourself. Please," Aelita pleaded.

"Ok, I'll limit myself," Jeremy said.

"By the way. I need you guys to see something. I forgot when I saw the shape you were in," Aelita said as she lead them out of the room. They walked up to her room and entered. Aelita walked in and picked up her alarm clock. She showed it to the guys as they tried to figure out what she did.

"So… you're smoking in your room and… got your alarm clock on fire?" Odd asked.

"No Odd. I went to shut it off and a pink spark leapt from my hand and hit the clock. It fried it out. And then I felt that feeling again like the other day on the soccer field. Only I didn't get cold afterwards," Aelita said.

"So… you did this?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes but then I realized I remember that feeling. I've felt it before when we were on Lyoko. The heightened sense of things. I think my powers are Lyoko related," Aelita admitted.

"Or you've always had these powers and can just use them easier on Lyoko than here on earth," William added to which the group looked at him as they thought of what he just said.

"It could be true. I mean the supercomputer does enhance your current abilities. Maybe William's right," Jeremy said.

"Well after class we'll meet back at the lab and talk about this… thing Aelita downloaded the other day. Right now we should go see if Ulrich's ready or not," Jeremy said as Aelita threw the clock away.

The four teens turned the corner to see a frustrated Ulrich with his waist wrapped in a towel. He was standing outside his door as he tried to wiggle the door open.

"What are you doing?" William asked as Aelita covered her eyes.

"I locked myself out of the room," Ulrich said as Odd walked over and unlocked it.

"What would you do without me bro," Odd asked.

"Sometimes I wonder Odd," Ulrich said as he walked in and shut the door. The door was shut for a few minutes until they heard a scream from Ulrich's room. Ulrich opened the door and looked staring at Odd.

"ODD! KIWI ATE MY BOXERS AGAIN!!!!!"

________________________________________________________________________

Outside Yumi sat at the usual bench she always sat at when she waited for the others. The weather outside wasn't too hot. There was a nice breeze going. But it still felt hot.

Yumi had regretted wearing her usual black jeans again today. Maybe her mother was right, maybe she should try shorts to school for just once. But then again she didn't feel comfortable showing so much leg. Even though her mother always contradicted why it was she was always uncomfortable wearing shorts but not wearing a shirt which was so short it showed her belly button.

"Well well, the usual geek squad hasn't showed up yet?"

Yumi turned to see the blonde haired Tanell staring at her. Herve and Nicholas were standing right behind her. Herve looked… different. He was wearing tinted eyeglasses and khaki shorts. Nicholas had his hair gelled over and looked as if he had been working out for some time.

"Oh great another day ruined," Yumi murmured.

"So where is Ulrich at?" Tanell asked.

"What… why do you wanna know?" Yumi asked

"Well I hear he's one of the hottest boys in school, so I figured the hottest boy and hottest girl should hook up," Tanell said.

Yumi's face turned red as she fumed with anger. "Well he already has a girlfriend. We've been dating for months now," Yumi said.

"Oh some things are subject to change my little gothic friend." Tanell said. "See. People like you are the joke of society. Your all emo and such for no reason at all. And you think you can date some one like Ulrich ? You just mimic what you want to be like and try to blend in with the rest of the world. You think you can just try to act normal? You're not normal. Your gothic. Your job… your role is to be looked upon by the higher class of society and used as an example. Ulrich is the high class… you're the low class. It's only a matter of time till he dumps you…. In fact he already has," Tanell said.

"What do you mean?" Yumi said.

Tanell turned around with a villains smirk on her face. "The way he looks at me. The way he tries to ignore me, it's all non verbal forms of communication my dear single minded girl.. It's only a matter of time before he goes for the kill."

"That's not true!!!!" Yumi said as a small tear formed in her eye.

"Oh he told you he loved you? That's what all boys say to get their way, and I bet he tried to kiss you too," Tanell said.

"It's… it's not true!" Yumi firmly said as her eyes continued to water up. Tanell saw this bad prepared to strike.

"It's not!" a voice said from behind Yumi.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. It's almost the exact same thing I said when I tried to break Yumi and Ulrich up so long ago. Wow you accuse her of trying to mimic normal people when it seems you're trying so hard to be some kind of copy cat of me or something. Good job with the originality," Sissi said.

"Who asked you Delmas!!!" Tanell said.

"Actually, Yumi's a friend of mine. So I stepped in. You don't like it? Deal with it you dumb blonde!" Sissi said. "You talk about how your high class and we're low class? It seems to me then low class is where to be, and high class snobs like you are the real reason the world is in such bad shape. People like you don't even use a brain, all you do is piss and moan about how you deserve this and that and how much of a diva you are. You're the real scum here Lewis. You and those huge aircraft carrier sized teeth of yours," Sissi said as she got in Tanell's face.

The whole school yard was quiet as they watched what had just happened. Slowly but surely a few kids began to applaud as Tanell covered her mouth to hide her teeth. Sissi turned around and grabbed the spell bounded Yumi and walked over to the soda machines. Sissi suddenly turned around for one final insult.

"Oh by the way. That shirt is not Flee Sempra, and you look really fat in it!!!" Sissi said. To which Tanell grunted from it. The angry blonde turned around and stormed into the dorms with Herve and Nicholas behind her.

Odd and Ulrich stepped out as Tanell stormed in.

"Low life trash!!!!" Tanell grunted as she walked past them.

"What's her deal?" Ulrich asked as he spotted Yumi and Sissi. Suddenly his brain sputtered: Yumi and… SISSI!!!!

"Sissi…. Wow that was… I don't know what to say," Yumi said as she dried her eyes.

"Well for all the times I did that to you, it's the least I could do," Sissi said. "I'm sorry about how I acted before," Sissi said.

"Apology accepted," Yumi said as Odd and Ulrich walked over to them. They both did a double take and looked at both girls. "Uh… hey Sissi?" Ulrich said.

"I better go. See you guys later," Sissi said as she walked off towards the building.

"Hey Sissi!!! Do you want to eat breakfast with us?" Yumi asked.

Sissi paused for a minute as she thought about the words she had just heard. She had always secretly wanted to join the gang. And now it seemed as if she was invited to.

"Sorry I have some homework to work on but maybe next time."

________________________________________________________________________

The birds in the doorway of the factory scattered as Frank Morse walked into the factory. It was well kept and cleaned. Too clean for an abandoned factory. Frank wiped some of the sweat off his forehead. He looked around as he spotted a small elevator. Frank walked over as he looked at it. He stepped inside the massive elevator. There was nothing special about it until he spotted the control panel. It was new, brand new. He pulled out a bag of white powder and blew it on the buttons. The powder settled and revealed a series of small finger prints on the panel. He pressed them in the order 36574. The door closed as the elevator began to lower down to the lab. The door hissed as it opened, revealing the lab. Frank walked around in amazement, failing to notice the coat.

Frank bumped into it as he fumbled in the dark green room. He slowly made his way to the terminal as he took out the small wireless card in his pocket. He opened up the antenna and plugged it in. In a few seconds a familiar voice popped up on screen.

"It's just like he said. The A.I. was rebuilt and returned to its home. And that would mean Mal-Tech is moving in fast. Do you still have the phone I showed you how to modify?" the voice said.

"Yeah," Frank said as he pulled it out of his pocket and showed it to the webcam.

"I'll make contact with the kids and grab them; I'll get them in the hands of the FBI. And tell them about you; by then you should make a connection shouldn't you?" Frank asked.

"I already have, but to insure that neither Aelita nor Xervix know of my presence I must remain hidden till the time is right. I sent the card to her too," the voice said.

"Well I don't know if I'll make it out of this, but if we do… nice knowing you man," Frank said as he pulled the flask out of his jacket pocket. He drank from it as the voice talked again.

"Are you going to tell her?" the voice asked.

"I have to atone for my demons. It's a human concept."

"I see. Well… goodbye then Mr. Morse," the voice said.

"Goodbye," Frank said as he unplugged the card. He walked to the elevator and rode it down to the main computer lab. Frank walked over and plugged it into the tower as he flipped open a small panel. The panel showed the progress of the download. Finally it showed it connected. As soon as it connected, the connection stopped. Frank knew that his partner was connected to the computer. It was all part of the plan. Frank pulled out the card and slid it into his pocket. Frank turned to the elevator and rose up to the top floor.

It felt so weird, yet he could remember exactly how he was tangled up in this affair. He could even remember how he met them….


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25.

Whispers Of A Lost World.

Alaska 1972

Waldo walked into the lab. It was a average day of upgrading the computers and checking to make sure everything was working ok. He was wearing his lab coat with his identification number when he walked up to the entrance. The entrance had what looked like a metal safe like door on it. Their was no handel or door knob, just a small screen on the side. Waldo walked over and held up his bage to the screen. It blinked and buzzed as a small microphone popped out of the side.

"Waldo Schaffer."

The screen dinged as the door opened and revealed the computer lab.

It was the lab which held the Crystal Prism. The Crystal was suspended by several wire cables and anchors, attached to it where leads and pads which where attached by cables that ran back to their respectable computers, supplying data to the computers and the Genramus super computer. The lab was vacant with the exception of 3 other people. Waldo's task was to make sure all the computers where up to date, and also to help record the heat signature spikes that would occur through out the day.

"Hey Waldo." a voice called out from behind the crystal prism. The voice came from a skinny female scientist crouched under a table.

"Hey Lisa." Waldo said as he walked over to the nearest computer terminal. Named Genramus "How's the rock today?" Waldo asked.

"Same as always. Not going anywhere, not moving. Same old stuff. How's Ed doing?" Lisa asked.

"Well he almost got into it earlier with Daemon, apparently Barney the parrot snapped at Ed and Ed yelled at Daemon for it. It got so bad the neighbors' across from us had to come in and help break it up. So when you come over today, be sure you keep away from Barney." Waldo said as he ran a background check on the computer.

Lisa had been Seeing Edward, Waldos room mate for a few days, she seemed to be infatuated with him. She talked to him as often as she could, the only problem though was that it was once every 12 hours. Waldo had caught them once in his room making out next to the window, of course Barney was taking in the scene by saying "Give us a kiss" and "Pretty girl. Give Barney a kiss". Once Daemon heard this, he was hysterical when Barney started speaking like that.

Waldo didn't care much for the relationship, he never had a girlfriend, he tried one once with a girl, but she never got the hint and never understood why or how. She only saw what she wanted to see and nothing else. That relationship hurt Waldo, and ever since he has decided to wait until he moves out of Compton to look for a girl.

"So anything new with the crystal?" Waldo asked.

"Aside from being a large rock? Nothing as always." Lisa said as she sat in her chair and poured a cup of coffee from her coffee pot. "We still have the same energy pulse's every half a second but that's really it." Lisa said as she checked off some things from her check list.

Waldo walked over and opened Genramus's interface. He began his daily check of the computers performance, making sure the computer wasn't having any form of internal problems or sever problems.

"What kind of energy signature?" Waldo asked.

Lisa knew he wasn't supposed to share info with other tasks members, but she liked Waldo; he was a nice guy, and she knew he wouldn't talk at all.

"Well it's a type of Thermal pulse. The same kind used in forms heat, such as volcanoes, fire, and even humans. Were pretty sure the source of the pulse is some where near the center of the crystal. And were not reading a second signature in the main structure, or the smaller crystal." Lisa said

"An I'm sure we have no idea what caused this?" Waldo asked.

Lisa shook her head.

Waldo closed up the panel to Genramus's drive. He closed the shinny door and saw his reflection in the chrome, but that wasn't all he noticed.

Waldo saw a strange shape on the crystal, he looked at it as he tried to figure out what it was. It looked like a upside triangle with 3 lines going through the bottom of the triangle, a small circle with another circle in it, only this one was solid. It also had one line poking out of the top of the triangle. Waldo thought for a minute he was seeing some sort of reflection or shadow. But he was actually quite sure it wasn't a reflection.

"Hey Lisa? What's this?" Waldo asked.

Lisa put down her clip board and her coffee and walked over to the area where Waldo was knelt down at, she saw the symbol on the crystal itself, she stared at it for a minute as she tried to figure out what it was.

"Have you seen this on any other piece?" Waldo asked. Lisa shook her head no.

Lisa pulled out her pen and slowly touched the symbol, she felt her pen snag a little on a the grooves of the symbol, it wasn't a reflection. It was a real symbol carved onto the crystal.

"Are you sure no one else has seen this before?" Waldo asked.

"I'm as baffled as you are, im not sure what it really is. It doesn't look like its hieroglyphics, or any other type of ancient text. In fact I don't think there is anything on the earth like this." Lisa said.

Waldo grabbed a pen and paper and began to draw what was on the crystal. He sketched it out and put it in his pocket, he was aware that the camera was facing the right side of the room, but the symbol was on the left side of the crystal, so the camera wouldn't be able to see them looking at the lower base of the crystal.

"I'm going to keep this, maybe I can find out what it truly is. I would suggest taking this to the lead scientist and informing him about it so that we don't draw suspicion." Waldo said as he knelt down next to the symbol. He drew it on his knee as he stared at it.

As he began to stand up his knee gave out, he fell forward a little bit. Lisa reached out to catch him. Waldo felt his fingers touch the crystal a little. The symbol flickered as Waldo suddenly felt something. He felt it in the back of his mind as if he had heard something. It felt like something was in his head, but he wasn't sure.

"Are you ok?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah im fine. Just kind of startled me that I touched it." Waldo said

"Listen im going to report this but im going to give you credit for the find. I don't want to cause suspicion in all this Wally." Lisa said

"It probably is for the best that we report it then." Waldo said

Waldo folded up the paper and put it in his shoe. Lisa went over to the desk and grabbed a notebook pad and began drawing the symbol herself. Waldo finished up his work as Lisa dialed down to the main scientist's room. She reported the symbol on the crystal, Waldo walked around towards her when he noticed a second symbol, this symbol was round with 3 lines coming down the bottom, and a line on the top. It looked more like a eye then anything else. Waldo quickly the notebook pad from Lisa and quickly jotted down the symbol as well. But then a sudden thought hit his mind. _How did he know it was their._

The door swung open as Dr. Gordon Vance walked in. a middle aged African American scientist who everyone saw as a mentor. He had lost his right leg once in a drunk driving accident. So he hoped around on a peg leg with a cane. He was a kind man with a smile that was warm and inviting. He had a full facial beard that was grey from his old age.. And always wore the same blue jeans every time he stepped into the lab.

Dr. Vance walked in to the lab, followed by Della Robbiea and two other scientist.

"So what's the deal here?" Dr. Vance said in a raspy voice.

"Mr. Schaffer here discovered this symbol here, and I think he found another one as well." Lisa said.

"Yes I did. I just kind of noticed it a few minutes ago." Waldo said as he showed the Dr. the drawings. Dr. Vance looked at the symbols as he tried to make out what they meant.

"They don't look Egyptian, and they aren't Omak. Their almost….Alien." Vance said.

Dr. Vance instructed the other two scientist to examine the two symbols. Lisa bent down near the first symbol Waldo discovered. Edward walked over and bent down next to her. Dr Vance saw this and spoke out about it.

"Mr. Della Robbia. I'm aware of you and Lisa's relationship, but please we needed to look for this object." Dr Vance said

Edward grunted as he stood up. As he walked away Lisa began to touch the symbole with her fingers. She placed her whole palm on the symbol as she felt the smooth and glass like surface of the crystal….Suddenly she realized the symbol was glowing.

And so was her hand.

The Crystal then suddenly glowed white and red as steam shot out of the side. Lisa started to back up as she bumped into the computer. The steam then turned from white to purple. Lisa tried to get up but stood up in time for the steam to hit her right in the face, Lisa lost her footing and fell onto the crystal.

As quickly as she touched it, orange lightning coursed through the crystal and into Lisa. Lisa screamed in pain as the energy coursed though her body. Edward tried to get to her as the Genramus Supercomputer exploded. A piece of metal hit Edward square in the head as he fell over unconscious.

The rooms main door sealed as people began to frantically try to leave. Waldo stood and watched what was unfolding. He ran over but a lightning bolt left the crystal and hit the floor next to him, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"_Save her!"_ a voice cried out. Waldo heard it come from behind, it sounded feminme. He turned around fast and saw nothing. He turned to face Lisa and heard the voice again.

"_Save her…save her now" _The voice said again.

Waldo grabbed a piece of wood and hit Lisa in the chest. Lisa flew backwards, released from the lightning.

Waldo suddenly felt a intense pain run through his body. The lightning was hitting him.

Waldo Screamed loudly as the lightinig was so intense it was causing his skeleton to glow. People could literally see his bones. Waldos Glass's fell to the floor as steam came off them.

Waldo felt the room grow black as everything got really quiet and faded out. He felt as if he was asleep, yet he could still hear his heart beat. It was the only thing he could hear…

Waldo's vision finally started to return as he slowly moved. He felt no pain, he didn't feel anything. But one thing he did notice was what was not their. The lab was gone, the crystal, Edward, Dr Vance and Lisa were gone. And in their place was a rock like canyon. The sky was green and hazy. Their where no clouds.

Waldo found himself on a large rock. The sun was brighter then normal. It was a different color to. Waldo glanced up in the air and was shocked at what he saw.

5 suns.

Their where 5 suns in the air. Waldo looked around, the rocks around him where blue, bright blue. And the rock he stood on wasn't a rock, it was a table.

"Hail to the successor!" a voice cried out from the sky.

Spooked by the voice, Waldo turned around at the sound of the noise. He looked around and saw nothing. He then spotted something approaching him, it was wearing a black robe that covered its entire body. Soon Waldo saw others approaching him. Also wearing hoods. They came before him as the encircled him, their where 5 in all.

"Who…who are you? And where am I?" Waldo asked.

"You are now the observer, a honor granted to only a few. A observer of the Avatar." the person In front of him said.

Waldo backed up slowly as he tried to make out what he was seeing. The figures wore a robe which seemed to glisten. On the robes where red and blue crystals which glowed in the sun, they glowed light blue and red when the sun peered through the crystals.

"Wait. What? Where am I and what are you…things." Waldo said as he panned around

Slowly one of the closet to him removed his hood. Waldo stared at the mans face, His hair was Mustard color, with white highlights. His skin was tanned and his eyes where orange. The one next to him removed his hood, his hair dropped down to his back. His hair was dark blue and red. He had a strange looking ear ring on his ear. His eyes where straight white.

"We are the Angelis. We are a race of humans centuries beyond yours in both technological standards, and evolutionary standards. We are from a parallel dimension. " The final hooded one said as he removed his hood. He had a kind of Magenta colored hair, with white normal skin. His eyes where bright green. The one next to him removed her robe, her hair was plain white, and she also had green eyes.

"I am Ogyris…and this is my mate. Sedna. We are the leaders of the Angelis." Ogyris said.

"So why am I here?" Waldo asked as he panned around.

Ogyris held out a clear blue remote and pushed a button on it. As he did a blue thin beam shout out from the remote and panned outwards. What it revealed was a large crystal and gold city. He saw birds flying over head, he saw kids playing in the grassy areas covered with strange looking trees. Then the hologram of the city was replaced by a crystal smooth orb. It glowed different colors as it spun in place.

"This is the System. Our greatest treasure, and our main source of power. It has been with our people since the beginning of time, it can grant any man or woman untold powers. Powers beyond their wildest dream."

Waldo put out his hand to try and touch the floating crystal, his hand pushed right into it, as the image flickered and shorted out. It was almost beautiful, it looked like it was something that fell out of heaven. Like a tear of god.

"In the beginning, our people used it as a source of power. It is what allowed our civilization to rise to what we are today….And crash into ruin." Orgyris said as the hologram suddenly turned from a smooth crystal sphere, to a war torn planet.

Waldo's skin crawled as he saw the ruined city's the streets where cracked and ruined. The trees where burned to cinders, and the sky was clear….but was grey instead of green.

"For a while we lived in harmony. But soon, we where attacked by forces bent on using the System for their own use…The Valkary." Sedna said.

The hologram then flinched to a explosion as a building exploded in a fiery green fireball. It showed a lone dark figure leaving the area. It looked human….but was covered in scales, dark twisted scales. Its eyes where bright yellow, and it had wings…Dark Raven like wings. Its skin as black as night and its eyes as red as blood

"This is one of their flyers. They attacked our world in hopes of finding the System. If the Valkary obtain the system, they will begin to reign their destruction all over the world. And our species would be destroyed …But their was a trick to using it, only the Avatar can use it."

The hologram then panned to a young thin girl with pink hair, she held the orb in her hand as she fired a red and pink laser beam at 3 of the flying beast's. the hologram then panned to the young girl holding the orb in the air. Several rays shoot out of the orb as she floated in the air.

"This is the Avatar. The bearer of the system. Only this person can use it, and only she can wield its power. Then there is the Observer." Ogyris said.

"I am the current Avatar." Sedna said. "And Ogris here is my Observer…and husband. Our Daughter, Antea is the new Avatar." Sedna said as the hologram then showed the same pink haired girl. She was standing on a rock with the wind blowing through her hair, she was looking out towards the city as she held herself. Waldo felt a little compassion towards her. Almost as if he wished he could make her feel better.

"Antea is our Daughter, she is at the age you would call. 19. She is our pride and joy." Sedna said.

"She doesn't belong in our world. She is a child who has all her life been both gifted and cursed with the System. So we have decided to send her to another dimension, one which shows great promise, one who would benefit from the system."

Waldo watched as the hologram disappeared. He looked up and realized what was going on.

"You sent her to our world…She is inside the crystal?" Waldo asked.

Sedna and Ogyris nodded.

"Then the orb inside the smaller crystal is the system….Then where is the Observer person?" Waldo asked.

Sedna and Ogyris pointed at him. "The Observer is the protector of the Avatar. The Observer has the soul privilege of protecting and defending the Avatar. And to help pass on the role to the next generation." Oryris said.

"The system is passed on from parent to child…the first born." Sedna said.

"So….you asking me to….Date your…Daughter?" Waldo asked a little hesitantly.

"When we sent her to your world. We destroyed the portal to your world so that no other force or creature will enter it.. She is alone now. And you will be all she has." Sedna said. "Our dimension will burn…erasing our sins."

"Look after her….Look after our daughter." Oryris said as the world suddenly faded from Waldo's view..

Waldo awoke to his name being called. He woke up in the infirmary to one of the nurses looking over him.

"Looks like some one up there is watching over you." The Nurse said.

Waldo slowly sat up as he looked around. Everything was bright that he was having trouble seeing. He felt his head, it was wrapped in a bandage. He slowly stepped out of the bed and started to walk around a little.

"How long have I been out?" Waldo asked.

"5 days." the nurse said. Waldo's eyes grew wide as he heard the news.

"You and miss Ledgent where out for some time. She still isn't out of it either." the nurse said as she pointed. She pulled back the shade as Waldo saw Lisa. She was laying in bed sleeping. A breathing machine was helping her to breath.

Waldo's face showed a sign of confusion and misbelieve. "What happened to her hair?" He asked.

"It was like that after you pried her from the crystal. They say it changed color as she hit the floor. We have ran tests on her and everything. there is no reason as to why it changed." the nurse said.

Waldo looked at Lisa's hair….It was Purple.

Lunch in the cafeteria was crowded due to the number of people in line waiting for their meal. Sissi stood in line as she waited for her meal. Today it was Spaghetti and meatballs with some garlic bread and a salad. Normally Sissi went for the salad. But since she had gained 2 pounds, she was trying to make sure she lost those 2 pounds, and more.

Sissi saw Milly and Tamea walk into the cafeteria. Milly was wearing a blue tea shirt with a guitar hero logo on it. She also wore a khaki skirt and her usual high green and blue stripped socks. Tamea was wearing a tan long sleeve shirt with a pair of black blue jean pants. Her hair was braided as usual. While Milly wore hers differently. Hers was now in a pony tail in the back.

Sissi noticed that they sighed heavily when they saw the line. Sissi knew they had been having a rough time recently. With working on the school paper, school and their grades. She knew that they hardly had time for lunch during the day.

As the girls made their way for the exit, Sissi whistled. They turned around to see Sissi motioning them to cut in front of her. The two girls stared for a second…Was this really Sissi Delmas? Or was this a alien in disguise? The two girls walked over and grabbed their trays. Then they walked up and stood their for a minute.

"What's the catch?" Milly asked as she folded her arms.

"Well. Its just that I was such a Brat to you two over the years. And its gotten me no where so I figured it was time to start a new leaf." Sissi said. "Theirs no catch. No joke. Nothing." Sissi said.

Milly hesitantly stepped in front of Sissi. As tameya did the same. A couple of kids moaned and groaned in the back, but Sissi turned around and yelled at them for it.

"Give them a break you dorks!" Sissi firmly said as the kids in the back stopped.

At a lunch table across the room. The gang looked on in disbelieve.

"She really has changed." Yumi said. "First sticking up for me. Then Being nice to Milly and Tameya?"

"Man I swear. Things have so changed." Ulrich said.

Odd didn't listen. He kept staring at Sissi. She looked…different to him. Usually he would find a way to make fun of her, but instead he couldn't take his eyes off her. He then heard William say something but he wasn't paying attention. Until he noticed his lunch tray move.

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Odd barked.

"I just asked you if I could have your lunch. And you said _yeah what ever"_ William said.

"Well I was just…" Odd said as he looked towards Sissi. She was sitting down at the same table as Milly and Tameya.

"OH MY GOD!" Jeremy said.

"What." Odd asked.

He looked around as everyone at the table had the same wired smile on their face. Yumi hugged Ulrich while Aelita leaned on Jeremy's shoulder. William crossed his arms.

"What?" Odd asked again.

"You got a crush on Sissi." Aelita joked.

"ME? I SURE DON'T!" Odd said. He folded his arms and looked over in the corner, away from the table. He slowly turned to see the whole table…still smiling and looking at him.

"Odd…I used to act the same way with Yumi." Ulrich said as she hugged him.

"And I did the same with Aelita." Jeremy said as Aelita wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you guys nuts? I'm not in love with Sissi." Odd said.

"Ah. Our little Odd is growing up." Yumi said as she ruffled his hair.

"Looks like every one has a love interest then." Aelita said.

"Ok number 1. I'm not small. I'm svelte. Number 2. I don't love Sissi. And number 3, William doesn't have anyone yet" Odd said.

"Actually. That Engle girl and I are going out tonight. She's cute." William said.

"Wonder how long till Odd asks her." Yumi said.

Odd poked a load of sphegetti into his mouth and chomped on it as the gang laughed. Odd looked over at Sissi as She ate with Milly and Tameya….Maybe. He thought.

"So any news on what Aelita found the other night?" Ulrich asked as Yumi yawned a little.

"Well actually yes.." Jeremy stopped as Aelita looked at him. "And I did go to sleep in my bed Aelita." Aelita smiled at the news. "I found that the code Aelita found in the pyramid is also linked to the other pyramids in the other sub sectors. I think that if we got another piece of the code, we maybe able to figure out what that code is." Jeremy asked

"Great so when do we go again?" Odd asked.

"Tomorrow.." Jeremy said.

"Huh?" The group said at the same time. Usually when Jeremy wanted to investigate something, he wanted to do it right away. This was different.

"Tonight I have something….planned." Jeremy said.

"What's that?" Odd asked.

"Were…going…out…." Aelita said as her face blushed. Jeremy's blushed deeper.

"Did I hear that right?" A voice came from behind Odd's.

They turned to see Sissi standing right behind Odd. She had her hands on her hips as she had a look of excitement on her face. "Mr. and Ms Einstein are actually going on a date?" Sissi asked.

Both slowly nodded.

"Its about time. Good for you two." Sissi said as she sat down next to Odd. "If you want Aelita I can give you some tips to help you look excellent tonight. I can show you some make up tips, I might even have some dress's that might both fit you and look good on you." Sissi suggested.

"Well….ok. I guess." Aelita said hesitantly.

"Mind if I tag along to help? She is after all my best girl friend." Yumi said. Sissi nodded in agreement. "Might even help to have a second opinion." Sissi said.

Sissi stood up as she got ready to walk away from the group. "Il see you two about a hour before your date then Aelita." Sissi said as she walked off. Milly and Tameya where outside waiting for her. She walked up as they approached her.

"Hey Sissi. Thanks for letting us cut in front of you." Tameya said.

"Anytime girls. it's the least I could do for what I've done to you guys over the years." Sissi said as she walked off to her room. "Catch you two later."

"Are you sure she isn't a alien…or some kind of clone. Or maybe a computer A.I. bent on world domination?" Milly asked.

"Uh if she is. I like her better then the old one." Tameya said.

Back in the cafeteria Ulrich and Yumi got up from the table as Yumi was getting ready to leave for her class. Ulrich walked her to the door as they held hands. They made sure not to show any of their. Affection. In front of the faculty, usually if their was any sign of Public Display of Affection. It resulted In a detention after school.

"So I think I might head over to Jer's room around the same time you go to Sissi's room, you know. Give the guy some tips." Ulrich said.

"Afterwards since Williams going out tonight as well, how about you, me and Odd go back to my place to hang out?" Yumi asked.

"Sure. I got to get off this campus some how. I mean im getting claustrophobia from it." Ulrich joked. "Il see you then." Ulrich said.

Yumi pulled Ulrich behind a tree where no one could see them. She combed the hair out of his face as she looked into his eyes.

"I love you." Yumi said. "I never thought I could love anyone but I do. I love you." Yumi said.

"I love you to Yumi. Il always love you." Ulrich said as they kissed. After a few seconds they let go as Yumi ran towards the school she turned around waving to Ulrich, smiling, at the same time. Ulrich turned around smiling to as he walked back to the cafeteria.

"Random….But effective…" Ulrich said as he smiled.

Here it is. Chapter 25. the secret of project vorseas is revealed. as well as what Waldo has learned. first off the crystal is not Alien. its inter dimensional. Also i felt Antea...Just seemed odd. so i gave her...a background.

and could it be? SISSI AND ODD!

Hell has froze over.

REVIEW OR HELL WILL THAW OUT!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26.

The Date.

Jeremy looked at his clock on the wall. It read 5:00. He was supposed to meet Aelita at 6:30 outside the movie theater for their date. He slowly got up and decided it was time for him to pick out what he would wear to the date. This was his official first date: it was the first time he ever went out with a girl by himself. He was extremely nervous. He was worried he would screw up and Aelita would not want anything to do with him. But he was going out with Aelita. And every time he would mess up with something she would always correct him. So at least he knew he might do well tonight.

Jeremy Opened his chest draw , He pulled out a towel and his usual bathing stuff. He opened his closet door as he looked at what he would wear tonight. About the time he opened his closet door. He heard a knock at his door.

Jeremy walked over and opened it in time to see Ulrich and Odd standing with a small smirk. Jeremy noticed Odd was holding a small bag as the two boys walked inside his room.

"So how's the preparing going?" Odd asked.

"Just getting ready to go hop in the shower." Jeremy said. As he turned around Odd tossed something at him, Jeremy caught it.

"Try that stuff on." Ulrich said.

Jeremy looked down at the object he was just given. It was a shampoo bottle. It read Axe Degree. On it. It was a red substance in a black bottle.

"Yumi loves that stuff so maybe you should wear that instead of the usual shampoo you wear. After all Aelita will be smelling nice to you know." Odd said as he laid the bag down on Jeremy's bed.

Ulrich looked at the clothes Jeremy had picked out. They where almost the same clothes he wore every day. It was the same blue shirt with the same khaki pants. Ulrich rolled his eyes, it was worse then the time he discovered Jeremy still wore briefs.

"Jer hang on a second, this is a special occasion. You don't want to look like your going to class. You got to look good." Ulrich said. Ulrich rummaged through Jeremy's closet as he looked for something for Jeremy to wear on his date. Jeremy was a little upset about it.

"hey wait. What are you guys doing?" Jeremy said.

"Its called man code Jeremy. This is your first real date, and we want you to look great so were going to help prep you. And all." Odd said as he pulled a small bottle of colonel out of his bag.

"But guys I know what to do really?" Jeremy said in protest. Ulrich turned around and looked Jeremy square in the eye.

"What's the one mistake guys make on their first date then." Ulrich asked Jeremy.

"Um…..uh…it wouldn't be a kiss would it?" Jeremy said.

"No…its thinking they know everything." Odd said.

"Where did you get your facts then?" Jeremy asked.

"Magazines and personal experiences." Ulrich said.

"Ok this looks great." Ulrich said as he pulled out a pair of black dress paints. It was a a dark color Jeremy wore once to a class dance. Ulrich then pulled out a pair a dark blue button up shirt.

"what is that?" Odd asked.

"Its my dress clothes. Their for like special occasions and church and all." Jeremy said

"I think that would do great wouldn't it Odd?" Ulrich asked. Odd gave a thumbs up for it.. Ok then now all you need to do is take a shower, use the axe and your all set bro." Odd said. Jeremy took the clothes and the towel and walked towards the shower area. Ulrich and odd sat in his room as they discussed what their plans where for Jeremy.

"We really don't need to tell him much you know. I mean he knows what he's doing. It is Aelita after all, I mean the way they act its like their dating already." Odd said.

"I think they may go alright. Aelita I think knows what to do, Jeremy however might need a little coaxing to get him to do anything." Ulrich said

"How do you know Aelita will know what to do?" Odd asked.

Ulrich stood up as he grabbed a piece of gum from his pocket. "I think its being taken care of." Ulrich said with a smirk.

Aelita sat in her room with her bathrobe on. It was a pink fuzzy robe with a red A on the left side of her chest. She sat on the her bed drying her hair. As she listened to her two apparent…coaches.

"When you meet Jeremy. Tell him he looks nice. Um.. Don't make him nervous: let him know that you're not testing him, your just trying to share a fun night. Just let the conversation drift to something you'll agree on, not just stuff about your relationship. Its your first date, Make it to have fun, not discussing the two of you." Yumi said as she sat in the chair next to Aelita.

"And don't kiss on the first date." Sissi added as she picked out Aelita a pinkish red shirt to go with her maroon jacket and skirt. "A lot of fashion magazines say that kissing on the first date is generally a bad idea." Sissi said as she handed Aelita her underwear.

Aelita stood up as Yumi and Sissi turned around to give her some privacy.

"Were just going to get some food and then to a movie and the arcade. I don't think its as romantic as your saying." Aelita said.

"And it did take me and Ulrich our 3rd date to get the feeling. But still. 1st date is just as friends. 2and date is for getting closer. 3rd is for actually making it official." Yumi said.

"And never just talk about something dull such as religion or hobbies, or a show. People on dates find that a bit of a turn off. Talk about you know. Things you feel comfortable talking about." Sissi said as Aelita finished getting dress. "Here try this on." Sissi said as she handed Aelita some perfume. Aelita sat down at her desk and pulled out a mirror and her makeup kit. Sissi saw what Aelita was using and sighed a little.

"What?" Aelita asked.

"Good thing I came prepared." Sissi said as she brought over what looked like a small trunk. She opened it up and showed Aelita a large selection make up and eye liner. "This is a girls 2nd best friend. 2nd to diamonds." Sissi said.

She sat down next to her as Yumi watched. "'Yumi don't you think maybe some crimson red lipstick would go well with her pink hair?" Sissi asked.

"Actually maybe a little darker. So it matches her shirt as well." Yumi said. Sissi agreed. Sissi gave Aelita the lipstick.

"You know you shouldn't dye your hair that color." Sissi said.

"What?" Aelita asked.

"Your hair. Pink isn't a natural color." Sissi said.

"Aelita's hair has always been like that." Yumi said.

"Yeah I was born like this" Aelita said.

"Really? that's wired. But at the same time kind of cool" Sissi said Aelita smiled a little as Sissi picked her out some eye liner. "Hey Sissi. I kind of want to keep that a secret. Its kind of personal you know." Aelita said. Yumi stared at Sissi as she wondered how she would take it.

"Sure. I understand. Your secrets fine with me." Sissi said as she picked out some nail polish for Aelita. "Honestly now that I look at it. It is definitely unique and it really fits your personality." Sissi said as she sat down next to Aelita and began to add the nail polish to her fingers. "Did your parents ever wonder about it?" Sissi asked.

Their was another brief pause in the room as Aelita eyed Yumi a little. Sissi looked up and saw the distress on Aelita's face. Slowly she started to piece it together.

"You mean?" Sissi stuttered as she looked back and forth between the girls. "Their not dead are they?" Sissi asked.

"I…I don't know. Its not really a subject I want to talk about." Aelita said. Sweat began to seep out of Yumi's Hair, she was worried Sissi might go back to her old ways and begin to snoop around to much.

'I'm sorry I shouldn't of asked. My mother died when I was young to. So I know how difficult it is to talk about it." Sissi said.

"How did she die?" Yumi asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"She was in a car accident. It was snowing and the roads where bad." Sissi said as she finished up Aelita's finger nails.

"Wow. I never knew Sissi" Aelita said. A short silence befell the room as the 3 girls wondered what should have been said next.

Yumi finally broke her silence as she looked towards Sissi. "_If she can be nice to us. Why not be nice to her"_

"Hey Sissi. Ulrich, Odd and myself are going back to hang at my house. Would you want to come along?" Yumi asked.

Sissi paused for a minute, She slowly looked towards Yumi. She had wanted to hang with them ever since she started jr high. Ever since Ulrich left her for them.

"Sure. Il go hand out with you guys." Sissi said as Aelita got up to put her panty hose on. She then put on her small black socks and grabbed a white box out of her box. On the box was in cursive hand writing. "_Son-Neko's" _She reached in the box and pulled out some well polished black high heels. She put them on and grabbed her purse and walked to the mirror on her door.

"So. How do I look?" Aelita asked.

"Jeremy is one lucky boy to date you tonight." Yumi said as she smiled. Sissi put her hands on her hips as she nodded in agreeance.

"What time you guys meeting?" Sissi asked.

"About 6:30" Aelita said as she sat on the bed. She picked up Mister Puck and placed him on the bed. She sat with her back to the wall as she looked towards the others. "So this is it huh?" She asked.

"Yup. Your first date. You grow up so fast." Yumi joked as she pinched her cheek. Aelita batted her hand out of the way as she slapped Yumi's shoulder.

"Just remember what we said and you will do fine." Sissi said. "After all you have known Jeremy for this long, I'm sure he will know what areas to go in and what to stay out of." Sissi said. "You know, you should get your ears pierced." Sissi added as she looked towards Aelita.

Aelita covered her ears a little at the news. "My ears? I don't like piercing. They look ugly." Aelita said.

"I've been thinking I might get my belly button pierced." Yumi said as she lifted up her shirt a little and looked at it.

"No no no. Trashy women get the Naval peiced Yumi. And its always the same. Some stupid little do dad or what not. No, your more of a ear ring girl Yumi, or….if you DID get the right ring, you could get your belly button pierced. It really depends on what you get." Sissi added.

"Well I want none of that. None at all. If god had wanted people to have metal on their bodies, he would of made us robots. I'm just not into the whole pain thing." Aelita added.

Xervix sat on his thrown in the Volcano sector. He sat their as if he was meditating. He was planning his next move, he was very distraught at what had happened in the Cave sector. His Titans had failed him. But one thing did succeed, the Air Spider on Yumi. It gave him what he needed to put his plan into motion.

Xervix looked up as the 3 Scyphozoa's, Aether and Tartarus approached him. Tartarus kneeled down as Aether looked up with a smirk on his face.

"Apologies lord Xervix….we failed to acquire the first piece of the cartographer." Tartarus spoke.

"Next time we will be ready for those arrogant bio masses." Xervix said as 3 large glass like domes incased the scyphozoan's. a gel like fluid filled their tube as their digital code suddenly exploded. However there bodies didn't disappear like what usually happens when a monster dies. Instead, a small glowing orb left their bodies, as the remains of the Scyphozoa's begin to glow and shift into a new shape.

"What's the point anyways. Lets just invade their world and kill the dam girl." Aether said.

"Because we need the system you worthless sack of garbage." Xervix said.

"System System. We can annihilate their world. All we need is to…"

Aether was unable to finish as Xervix grabbed his face and slammed it into the tube. Aether screamed in fear as Xervix squeezed Aether's face. Aether's face bulged a little in where Xervix squeezed.

"Rule 1. NEVER QUESTION MY AUTHORITY!" Xervix yelled as he threw Aether across the room. Xervix walked up and slammed his foot on the back of Aether.

"Why go to so much for such a small insect?" Aether screamed in pain. Xervix pushed his foot down harder on Aether's back

"Rule 2. Disobey me. And I will delete you." Xervix said as he stepped off Aether's back. Xervix made his way to his thrown as Aether stood up, angry and pissed.

"Don't you turn your back on me!" Aether yelled as he fired a laser beam out of his mouth. Xervix turned in time to see Tartarus block the shot with his sword and charge after Aether. He sliced his sword at Aether's arm. It fell to the ground as Aether yelled in pain.

"Rule 3. I am God" Xervix said as he sat on his thrown. Aether picked up the arm and slid it back into his socket.

"There is a issue Tartarus. Something outside is attempting to make contact with the computer. It will establish a connection in a few hours. Go to the forest sector and cut it off." Xervix said. Tartarus disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Aether looked up and saw that Xervix was alone. "Think its smart to leave yourself alone with me?" Aether asked.

Xervix looked at Aether as he smiled. "But were not alone my little freak" Xervix pointed as Aether turned around to see a large mass standing right behind him. It was huge. It was at least 11 feet tall and had a gold helmet on its head. Chains where wrapped around its chest. As its chest was covered in a gold plate with muscles carved into it.

"We aint gonna have any problems around here are we mate?" the monster said.

"Aether…meet your new brother in arms…Atlas" Xervix said as 2 other monsters approached from behind Atlas.

Jeremy Put on the Khaki Jacket, he sat down to put on his socks and dress shoes. He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. He actually looked pretty snazzy he thought in the back of his mind. He turned to Ulrich and Odd who had a wide grin of approval on their face's.

"Well, you definitely look like you belong on a date with a pretty thing like Aelita." Odd said. Jeremy walked to the door as he paced a little.

"Ok just remember, act natural and no kissing on the first date Jer, its considered a curse to do so don't attempt it." Ulrich said as he fixed Jeremy's collar. Ulrich noticed the shade of green Jeremy was turning.

"You sick?" Odd asked.

"Uh…no I uh….have a date with Aelita." Jeremy said.

"Huh?" Ulrich asked.

"I have a date with…Ae…Aelita." Jeremy said. Jeremy slowly sat down on his bed and breathed in deep.

"Wait. Your not having a panic attack are you?" Odd asked.

"I think I am." Jeremy said as he grabbed a bottle of water from his draw.

"Hey relax. You'll do fine Jer really." Ulrich said.

"I cant breath" Jeremy said as he breathed deeper.

"What? You cant what?" Odd asked.

"I cant breath guys. I really cant breath!" Jeremy said.

"Ulrich sat down on the bed next to him and patted him on the back, trying to get him to calm down.

"Jer, Jer Jeremy! Listen to me" As Odd grabbed Jeremy's attention. "Just mellow out ok. Just calm down…Calm…down" Odd said as Jeremy slowly calmed down.

"I wonder if Yumi and the girls are having the same issue." Ulrich said out loud.

Aelita was In the rest room in one of the stalls, She was suffering from a upset stomach. Yumi and Sissi stood next to her as she groaned and moaned from the pains in her stomach. She finally stood up and stepped out of the stall.

"Feel better?" Sissi asked

"Yeah just some bad acid indigestion." Aelita said as she drank a bottle of tea Yumi handed her.

"I wonder if Ulrich and the boys are having this same issue?"

Delaware Airpark Airport

Travis boarded the Boeing 747. Jessica sat in the seat next to the window while George packed all the luggage into the over head . Jessica was working on her laptop as she was looking over the info they had, She was looking for any possible clue towards what it was they may have been after in Amines.

"Man how did we get drafted into flying to France?" George asked.

"Well, we didn't really have much of a choice, you heard Director Muller. Since we had the most experience on the case, we would search for any leads in France, All we need is to hook up with the DGSE agent. Mister Jinee Dupree." Travis said as he sat in his seat.

George sat down in his seat and shut off his cell phone, He looked over to see Jessica fidgeting and shaking in her seat a little. She was looking around the cabin to see what kind of people where on board.

"What's wrong with you?" George asked.

Jessica franticly looked at George as her hands shook. "Yeah…Yeah im..Im just. Fine is all…I hate to fly." Jessica said.

George motioned for a stewardess. George asked the women to bring him a soda and some alcohol. He wrapped his arm around Jessica as he tried to reassure her.

"Flying can be a rough thing but its not all that bad, the worse is the hours it takes to get from A to B. It starts out rough but its smooth sailing. After all, a great man once said that it's the safest way to travel." George said.

"If your talking Superman then your such a dork." Jessica said as the stewardess handed her the glass of alcohol.

"Well. Superman was great after all wasn't he?" George asked. George reached into his pocket and pulled out his D.S and a few games. "Want to play some Nintendo? I got Mario, Star fox, Kingdom Hearts, Advance wars?" George asked.

"Well while you two are busy saving Princess Peach and Krystal, I'm going to catch me some sleep" Travis said. "Let me know when either we land in France or you guys run out of battery's." Travis said.

George leaned over to Jessica as the game powered up. "He must have been a SEGA fan." George said as Jessica laughed.

As the plane took of from the tarmac, Travis slowly replayed the events that ended with them heading to France.

Travis, George and Jessica sat in the hotel room. They had just gathered up the evidence from the entire journal and where prepared to call in their report on the entire case. They pilled up photos and notebooks on all their evidence. George was hooking up the laptop with the webcam and a microphone so that the meeting could be both easily heard and easily managed.

"Ok we go live in about 10 minutes, if you got to go potty go now." George said.

"So what are we going to tell them? All we have is a journal and a story. What the Director will argue is that we will need to either have actual evidence or the man himself. Which if his journal is right he is dead." Travis said.

"Well all we need is either Aelita or Antea to verify what Waldo was saying is true. Or we need someone who has proof that what has happened is infact true." Jessica said. "I think my CIA superiors are going to tell me to either stay with you or tell me my work in this part is done."

George set up the connection to the FBI office in Washington, after a few minutes the image on the laptop revealed a long conference table with several men and women in dress clothing. At the end of the table was the Director of both the C.I.A. The Director of the FBI and the secretary of Defense: Robert Gates.

The Director of the C.I.A. was named Leon Panetta. He was a sought chubby fellow who wore eyeglass's. His face was a mess with wrinkles and grey hair. The Director of the FBI was still Robert Mueller. He was already aware of what his team had found on the Schaeffer case.

"Good after noon Gentlemen. This is the 4th of May and this is a conference call from Washington D.C. to Newark Delaware. On hand are Directors of both the CIA and FBI and Myself the Secretary of Defense and agents Travis Dalesman, Agent George Knight of the FBI and CIA analyst Jessica Hillsabeck." The secretary of defense spoke into the mic to make sure the other line could hear his voice well enough and that the recording device was in fact working.

"Ok Mr. Dalesman. Please inform us of what you have found." The secretary of Defense said.

"Thank you and good after noon to you all." Travis said as he stood up and paced around the room. "We have found a possible link in the destruction of the labs under Mal-Tech Industries, The disappearance of Waldo Schaeffer and the possible recent outbreak of a new computer super virus and the attempted murder of myself, agent Knight and Analyst Hillsabeck." Travis said as George flipped open a file on the laptop for the members of the board to see on the other side.

"We have found a Journal, or a briefcase with a number of C.D.s that point to the possibilities of Mal-Tech Industries attempt to gain a weapon of mass destruction for use against the government and many other countries around the world. All streaming form the Vorseas Project in 1972. To which Waldo Schaeffer was working on the project, Also from the effects of Project Carthage in 1992 which Waldo and his Wife Antea both worked on as well. In the Journal found, It points to the discovery of some type of….Otherworldly power source which Waldo refers to the System. And how he discovered the so called Avatar who is supposed to be able to wield an control its power, Although where not sure how that works.."

The Secretary of Defense removed his Eyeglass's as he looked into the computer monitor. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, it sounded like a old sci fi movie or something along that line.

"So is this legit or is this a load of Bull shit. Because to me, it sounds like its off one of my kids cartoon shows. We all know the Vorseas project's findings are held in Nevada. And Project Carthage was a program by the French and Americans to create a program to shut down an enemies communication methods." The Secretary said.

"That's not true. Sir." George said as he stood up. "we have found evidence that Mal-Tech changed the initial project issue to a new project that was meant to control the Findings of Project Voreseas. Waldo learned of this and fled with his family where he entered the witness protection program….the rest as they say is history." George said.

The room was quiet. Even though it seemed as if the whole story was out of this world, it almost made sense.

"What proof do you have other than this incredible story?" The secretary said.

"We have the journal and the attack on us…Plus the unknown phone call from Amines France. Which is just outside of France. I believe our next clue maybe in Amines. Its also possible Waldo And his family maybe their." Jessica said.

"So what your asking is to continue the investigation in France right?" The Secretary said.

"I know that sounds like it's a little more far fetched then normal but its really the only lead we have at the moment. I Believe a possible answer to the whole story lies with Amines France. Its are only shot to figure this out." Travis said. "We know After Antea's Disappearance Waldo Fled the Country…It maybe Possible he is hiding out in France."

The secretary Fiddled with a notebook as he leaned over and spoke to both of the directors. They mumbled quietly until they reached a decision.

"Very well. Once you reach Amines where will you go from their?" The Director asked.

"Well we did find on one of the C.D.'s that point to a possible lead. A broacher to a local Academy in Amines….A Kadic Academy." George said.

The Secretary looked long and hard into the camera. As he made his decision.

"Ok. We will Send all 3 agents to France. This will become a joint operation with the FBI and CIA. We will also contact the French government to get them to loan us one of their agents to assist in the investigation." The Secretary said. "You leave tomorrow understand?" The Secretary said.. All 3 nodded.

The sound of a video game making noises snapped Travis back into reality. He looked over to see Jessica out cold and George playing his DS. Travis looked down the isle as he noticed most of the lights where off in the cabin. Travis leaned back and fell asleep…But he didn't sleep long until the plane landed in France…

"Ok how do I look?" Aelita asked. As she spun around in a circle for the others to see.

"Looks good Aelita." Yumi said as she smiled and gave the thumbs up, Sissi smiled wide as well.

"Ok well….Here we go." Aelita said as she stepped outside the door and walked down the hallway to the door. She was having trouble walking in her high heels. But she got the hang of it soon.

Jeremy sat outside next to Ulrich and Odd. He was nervously twiddling his thumbs. That's when he heard the door to the school open. He looked over in time to see Aelita Wearing a bright red dress. Jeremy stared at Aelita.

"Wow" He murmured to himself.

"Wow." Aelita murmured to herself.

"Well you guys have fun! We'll see you later." Yumi as said as she lead Sissi, Ulrich and Odd off to her house. Leaving Aelita and Jeremy alone in the warm night air.

"Well…Want to go? I got those reservations at that restaurant you always wanted to try." Jeremy said.

"Really? Great lets go." Aelita smiled as she lead Jeremy off towards the city…


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27

This Moment

The streets of Amines were alive with people walking about the various restaurants and movie theaters. It was a hot night, but the wind was blowing gently, kissing the faces of the various people on the street. The stars twinkled brightly in the skies as the moon sat on the edge of the horizon… offering lighter than even the city lights could offer. Plants and flowers along the sidewalk were just beginning to bloom and blossom as insects danced around their tops and leaves. Crickets filled the night sky with their chorus of chirps and squeals. Yet they were drowned out by the noise of a hustling crowd on a Friday night.

A young blond teenager and a pink haired girl walked down to a restaurant that had most of its seats on their sidewalk. It was one of the best restaurants in Amines. Rated four stars and so close to getting a 5th. However, it was one of the most expensive restaurants in several miles. In addition, seeing as how Jeremy was paying for the meal… it meant he would receive a stern lecture from his mother afterwards… but he was not concerned. This night… this moment was for Aelita. He was doing this all for her. She wanted this… and in a way so did he.

The pair walked up to the mat idée, who was at the moment thumbing through a guest list. He was an older man with short grey hair and a pair of thin eyeglasses that fit over his nose very gently.

"Good evening," Jeremy said.

"Bal journo." The matiredee said. "And how may I serveuh you two love birds today?"

"I have a reservation under the name Belpoise. Table for two?"

"Of course we do. This way my little payanos," The Matriedee said.

The matridee led them to a small table where Jeremy pulled out the nearest chair for Aelita. Aelita smiled and sat down as Jeremy walked over and sat in the other chair. The matirdee gave them their menus as he walked back to seat another couple.

"What kind of accent was that? Italian?" Jeremy asked.

"Well it could be worse… the guy could have been a German Redneck," Aelita said as she looked at the menu. She looked up to see Jeremy smiling from the verge of laughter.

"Did you just make that up?" Jeremy asked.

"No… remember when we were at your house for Christmas and we were watching that Mystery Science Theater 3000 special. They had that German version where they had like a Christmas tree with a bunch of fireworks on it… Like a literal fire hazard," Aelita said as the waitress brought them out some water.

"Hello. How are you two doing today?" the waitress said.

"We're doing well. And I think we are ready to order," Jeremy said.

"Uh I'll take the… Shrimp De lea' on," Jeremy said.

"And I'll have the… Lasagna de silly," Aelita said.

"Ah good choices. And what shall you drink tonight?" The waitress asked.

"Two glass's of Apple Mist." Aelita said.

The waitress took down the order as she took both menus and walked off. Aelita sat back and looked around. She realized they were the youngest people in the restaurant. People were glancing up looking at the two young kids sitting in the middle of the restaurant.

The table they were sitting at was positioned on the sidewalk area of the restaurant. It was lit with orange and green lights. Their table was glass with a clear see through top. Their table also had a series of lights underneath it that could illuminate the entire table, and their contents. Also outside with them was a man playing a violin. Although he wasn't quite good at it. He screeched every so often…enough to make Aelita want to smash his violin for being so abusive to it.

"So this is nice. How much did this cost?" Aelita asked.

"Well…. Let's just say I owe mom and dad some…. Hundreds," Jeremy said.

"Jeremy you didn't?" Aelita asked concerned.

"Actually they didn't mind. They liked the idea of us spending a little alone time. Mom always said that too much school work is bad for you," Jeremy said as the waitress brought over their drinks.

"Well it could be worse. We could just be sitting in our rooms at night playing World of Warcraft or one of those stupid Online games," Aelita said.

"Yeah. I think I'll just stick with Team Fortress 2 for right now. Mom wants to get a Wii though," Jeremy said.

Aelita remembered when Jeremy showed them Team Fortress 2. She remembered when they stayed up late playing. Her favorite was always the Demo man, with his grenade launcher and Bottle of Alcohol. She laughed every time he said something funny. She also remembered when Odd was the scout and kept dying over and over again. It was shortly after her father's death, it was one of those times when she could let go of what happened and enjoy being with her friends… and Jeremy.

There wasn't much time for any form of celebration or fun after Aelita's father died. She sat in her room for days and cried… it didn't sink in until after the super computer was turned off that he wasn't coming back. She did not eat… she did not sleep. She just sat there holding Mr. Puck and looking at his picture… crying… she was alone in the world… she had nothing and no one. She felt hollow and empty inside… she wanted to fall asleep and never wake up.

At one point, she even blamed Jeremy in an anger of hatred. It was one of those rare arguments where Jeremy was concerned for Aelita's health. However, she did not care…. She just wanted someone to feel the same pain she did. In a sense, Jeremy felt it all right. And soon so did the others…. It was a long… cold and sad winter… Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd tried their best to cheer both of them up. However, they could not. At one point, Jeremy felt as if it really was his fault for Franz Hopper's death…. It got so bad for Jeremy that he felt that was why Aelita hated him… because he didn't save him in time.

"What are you talking about Jer?" Yumi asked.

"It's why she hates me right now. It's because of what I did," Jeremy said quietly laying on his bed.

"But you didn't kill her father. Her father sacrificed his life to save us," Ulrich said.

"Yeah I'm sure Aelita knows that. She is just going through depression is all," Odd said.

"No…. it's true…. She hates me…," Jeremy said as he looked at the picture Odd drew for him on his 13th birthday.

"SHE HATES ME!" Jeremy shouted as he slammed the picture into the ground.

The others fell quiet… they had never seen Jeremy and Aelita like this. They felt helpless.

"Have you tried… talking to her?" Odd asked

"No… and I'm afraid to. Dammit all I tried so hard to save her and I couldn't! " Jeremy said. "I neglected her to try and free her from Xana. And I neglected her father as well…. I am as much to blame for his death… if not more than Xana."

"Stop it."

"I just wanted to save her. I just wanted to protect her. I just…," Jeremy continued.

"Stop it… please."

"I was gonna…. I was…,"

"STOP IT PLEASE!" A voice cried out from behind them. It was Aelita… she had heard the whole thing… tears swelled in her eyes as she witnessed the pain she had created from her anger and rage. The room fell quiet as everyone stared at the pink haired teen. Jeremy stared at Aelita… pale white and scared. He couldn't even look her in the eye due to the amount of guilt he felt.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Jeremy… I should've never said that to you… you didn't kill my father," Aelita said as she sniffled.

"But I should've saved him. I should've found a way to save him," Jeremy said. "Why would he sacrifice his life for us?"

"To live…. He wanted Aelita to live. And he saw you as the only person who could give her a second chance at life," Yumi said a little emotional herself.

"He knew that if he came back. The people looking for him might discover he is alive and come for him. And in the end they would capture Aelita… he did it to set her free from his sins… from his burdens," Odd said as he put his arm around Aelita trying to comfort her.

"Without his sacrifice we might all be dead right now too. Thanks to Franz Hopper… we have a future now," Ulrich said as Yumi leaned on him.

"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry Jeremy…," Aelita said as she walked closer into the room.

"I'm just…. I'm so scared that I'm all alone now."

Jeremy reached out and hugged Aelita… she felt warm and safe in his arms. The tears flowed harder as she felt Jeremy's tears fall on her head as well.

"I promise… I will always be there for you Aelita… I promise no matter what," Jeremy said as he cried a little too. Yumi was already in tears as she tried to wipe them from her eyes. Odd was crying as well. They had all been through too much as kids… they had done more than enough for one life time. But in the end they came together not as friends… or heroes… but as a family. They were much closer than mere friends… they were a family.

After that night the road to recovery was slow but progressive. Aelita started living with Jeremy and his parents after he explained her father's death…without explaining Lyoko or Xana. Yumi and Ulrich started dating. And Odd stayed… …Odd. The Subdigitals departed due to issues with their last album. So Aelita was a normal student again. But at night when she had the time she would sit in her room with her notebook pad… and write down lyrics to songs that came to her head… she still wanted a career in music. And she knew just what to sing about in her songs…. Imprisonment… death… anger… redemption… salvation… and her hero who saved her. Her old family… and her new family.

"_In the past few months I have had with Jeremy. I have really enjoyed it… and I wanna continue to enjoy it as much as possible," _Aelita thought in her head.

"Uh Jeremy… can I ask you a question?" Aelita asked.

"Sure," Jeremy replied.

"Well… it's just that you have done so much for me over the past few years. And I just got to ask," Aelita said as she looked down at her drink.

"You can ask me anything Aelita," Jeremy asked.

"…And you will be honest?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah" Jeremy replied.

"Well. Do you…. You know."

Before Aelita could finish, the waitress brought out their food. She placed it on the table as she also gave them some silverwear and napkins.

"Bon appetite," the waitress said.

"I'm sorry Aelita. What were you going to ask me?" Jeremy asked.

"It can wait," Aelita said as she began to dig into her Lasagna. She felt a little let down, she was hoping to get the answer she thought it was.

"Well I was wondering… would you wanna do this... with me every Friday night, just the two of us?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita's heart skipped. It wasn't the exact answer she wanted to hear but it was good enough.

"YES! I I mean… yes I would love… I mean, would like to… every Friday night," Aelita said, as she blushed a little from her excited outburst.

Travis, George, and Jessica entered the room as they had finally landed in Amines, France. George had reserved ahead and gotten a three room suite on the Beaureu's expense. George liked the idea of finally being able to walk on land instead of being cramped up on an airplane for several hours. He laid down on his bed and let out a sigh of relief as it felt wondrous on his back. Jessica walked over to the desk and began to unpack her laptop and the suitcase with Waldo's diary in it. She then looked around as she noticed one of the side rooms had a door on it.

"That's mine," Jessica said.

"Wha? You don't want to share a room?" George asked jokingly.

"…No," Jessica said.

"Man it is hot here isn't it," Travis said as he removed his dress jacket. "It's almost as hot as if we were in Las Vegas again," Travis said.

"Well at least it's not like cold or there isn't any sign of freezing rain," Jessica said.

"So when does our French agent arrive?" George asked.

"Tomorrow at noon. So for right now I just want to get me some sleep," Travis said as he took a pair of shorts and a shirt out of his bag and walked to the restroom.

"I want to warn you George. You snore, I'll kill you," Travis said as he threw his shorts and shirt onto the bathroom sink.

"Well it's a good thing you're not sleeping in the same room as me," Jessica said.

"You snore?" Travis asked.

"Non stop," Jessica said as she put the lap top on top of the desk and turned it on. She walked over to the TV and turned it on. She was greeted by a squeaky woman speaking French. "Yeah, we're in France."

Travis looked through a few note files. He knew they were supposed to go to France but he was not sure just what exactly it was they were looking for in Amines. He looked through all the notes and looked through all the pictures, pictures of Waldo, pictures of Antea, and pictures of Aelita.

"Ok so we are here. Now where do we go from here?" Travis asked.

George looked up from his suitcase as he pulled his dress pants from the suit case. Jessica looked in from her room as she thought about Travis's question.

"Well… I think that we might find that out tomorrow. The agent said they might be able to track the phone call back to where the call originated here. The tech boys tracked it to a small address that lies deep inside the local park area. It looks like its somewhere at the park next to a local school," Jessica said as she pulled out a sheet of paper from her suitcase.

"Tomorrow the agent will let us know who owns the cottage and what," Jessica answered.

"Well I don't know about you guys but right now. I'm going to go taste a little bit of the European alcohol and see where it stands," George said.

"Yeah I think we could all use a little bit of relaxation," Jessica said.

"You know… the bed can wait," Travis said as he put his shoes back on.

The three agents left the room. The door locked as they walked down the hallway towards the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, a man in a black suit stepped out of the corner near the vending machines. He walked over to the door and put his hand in front of it.

"Let's hurry Jerome. We can't let any of them know we're here," Chris said as he walked up behind Jerome. "And if they find out we're here, they will never lead us to the target."

The door clicked as the door handle opened. He walked in and stepped near the desk, he slipped a small disk like object under the desk. He pushed it as it beeped once. He stepped back as the small silver disk suddenly changed color, it began to look much like the same color of wood as the desk.

"Bug in place," Jerome said.

The two agents stepped out of the room as they hurried down the hallway. They turned the corner in time for the elevator door to open, revealing Jessica and George.

They hurried to their room as George pulled out his key card.

"I can't believe you forgot your wallet," Jessica said.

"I know, don't rub it in."

The two young kids left their tip and dirty dishes at the restaurant. Aelita took one last sip of her soda as Jeremy held her purse for her. Aelita guzzled the whole thing down as she put her empty glass on the table. She grabbed her purse from Jeremy as they both walked away from the restaurant.

The waitress picked up her tip and looked at it. Her look turned to a look of disgust.

"50? That's all I get? Is a 50? What poor people," The waitress said as she stuffed it in her pocket.

"220 Euros," Jeremy thought in his mind; he didn't want Aelita to hear it and feel depressed from how much Jeremy had spent. But he was sure that his mother was gonna give him a stern lecture tomorrow night.

"That was pleasant Jeremy. Thank you." Aelita said.

"Anytime Aelita. Although I think the soda was watered down way too much. But all in all it was good," Jeremy said as he led the little pink haired girl across the street. The traffic was busy for a warm late spring night. They stood next to the bus stop as they waited for their ride to the next part of their date. Little did they know, they were being watched.

Frank stood across the street from the bus stop. He was leaned next to a light post, staring at the couple. His face was twisted in light pain. "_She looks just like Antea,_" Frank said.

By now he knew his friend was almost finished Downloading. He would get into contact with the heroes eventually. According to the plan, Frank should've walked over and explained his methods to them then and there, in order to get them on the path that Frank was told they needed to be on. He knew that the FBI might have landed in France already. So he had to work fast before "They" located the child.

Frank noticed how young Aelita looked. He knew that if what had happened had in fact happened, then that would explain why her age was completely off. He wanted to walk over and say something. He wanted to confront her.

He slowly began to walk to them when he was ready. But just then at that moment Aelita glanced over her left shoulder and spotted him…. Frank froze on the spot. His skin began to freeze as a cold sweat began to seep out of his skin. His legs buckled… he was afraid. Aelita turned around and looked at the intersection light, waiting for it to change. Frank knew then he had to explain himself… he had to say something. But he couldn't. He was afraid to say anything to her. He walked off in the opposite direction Jeremy and Aelita were going. He was scared. Once again Frank was scared of his past and of her. He needed a drink.

Then he heard it. He heard it all in his head. The screams, the car, the crying. He remembered the look in her eyes as he drove off. He remembered how that night he tried to put a bullet in his head for what happened. But what more was he remembered… How he could get a second chance.

He fell to his knees on the sidewalk. People around him started looking at him. Some stopped to check and see if he was ok. He fought back the tears as he heard it all in his head again. He had nightmares over these events for such a long time. He felt arms around his shoulders. He panicked.

"LET GO OF ME YOU MONSTERS!" Frank shouted; he pictured seeing those men again… those men who forced him to do the unthinkable. But instead he yelled at innocent people. He noticed everyone was looking at him… even Aelita and Jeremy.

He looked her in the eyes. She had a look of both concern and confusion. Frank's skin broke out into a cold sweat. His skin went pale as he felt his soul scream in pain. He stood up with the help of a few other people. He wiped his brow as he thanked and apologized to everyone.

"I'm sorry… I'm a war vet. I had a flashback," Frank said.

He peered down the street to see that Aelita and Jeremy were still looking at him. He hurried off away from the crowd; he had to get away from her. He had to. Frank ran down the side walk… everywhere he went he could still see her eyes. Those soft innocent eyes. Eyes he had almost helped to destroy once. His heart raced faster than it ever had.

Frank stopped next to a computer shop. He walked inside and looked around for the nearest store clerk and asked for the restroom. The clerk led him to the nearby restroom. He walked in and checked for anyone else in the rest room. There was no one there.

The room was white with black checkered walls and tiles on the floor. It had 2 stalls and 2 urinals. The lights overhead were dimmed light blue with a hint of neon in them.

Frank turned on the sink and washed his face off. He still felt horrible for what had happened. He was shaking from the flashbacks.

"I'm sorry," Frank whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"What was that about?" Aelita asked as she looked at Jeremy.

"Well the guy said he was a war vet. He might have been having some issues like a flash back or something like that," Jeremy said. "Remember my grandfather was enlisted as a freedom fighter during the German occupation of World War II. My father told me he used to have a lot of like nightmares and flashbacks to the invasion of Normandy. He always used to say that the sight of all soldiers and people who were killed… he said the noises and sights where… well let's just say he had problems," Jeremy said.

"Those were his pictures on the wall with the service uniform weren't they," Aelita asked.

"Yeah. Then he met my grandmother. She was an American nurse at the time. They

moved to America for a while and eventually moved back here," Jeremy said as the bus pulled up.

"Hence why you want to live in America one day?" Aelita asked.

"Well I'm not sure where I want to live. Possibly someplace warm… and not as hot as it is here." Jeremy said as they boarded the bus. Jeremy reached for his pocket to see if he had any change in his wallet. But before he could, Aelita put some change in the bus's fund canister. The bus driver greeted them as the bus drove off. They found a pair of seats near the rear. Aelita's red dress swayed over the seats. Jeremy sat down next to her. The bus jumped slightly as the bus began to pull forward again.

"What about you? Where do you want to live?" Jeremy asked.

"Uh… I'm not sure. Maybe someplace warm like a beach area or someplace like that. Maybe even somewhere next to a boyfriend, maybe one who moved into the same place I did," Aelita said as she blushed.

"Who would that be?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita giggled a little. "You're funny," Aelita said.

"So where you want to go next?" Jeremy asked.

"Well it is Friday so there is one place I would really like to go to."

The arcade was busy with several other kids out enjoying their Friday night. Kids were lined up playing anything from an arcade version of Deal or No Deal to an arcade game with a rotating cockpit to simulate the feeling of flying around. No one really noticed the blond boy and pink haired girl walk into the room. Jeremy used his credit card to buy some tokens for the pair of them. He turned to Aelita who was looking around at what they wanted to try first.

"How about that racing game?" Aelita asked. Jeremy nodded.

The racing game was a large booth with five car seats on it. The cars were shaped like formula 1 cars and were complete with steering wheels and shifter. They also had a screen that showed what was behind the current car. They also came with a special helmet that was attached to the car. When the driver got in it, the helmet would lower and the driver would be able to put it on. It would show a small map, the driver's standing in the race, and if someone was driving up to them or not.

Jeremy got into the yellow number 9 car while Aelita got into the green number 4 car. Three other kids got in as well as the arcade worker walked up and turned on the machine. He looked like a 90's grunge rocker, complete with acne and a 5-o-clock shadow. He took everyone's tokens and flipped the machine on. The helmets lowered as the drivers strapped them on. As Aelita put hers on a small screen to her left side turned on, showing her what the helmet was for and how to play the game.

The screen then showed the drivers' course. It showed Jeremy in the front and Aelita in the back. A number appeared on the screen as the cars vibrated and roared like real indy cars.

3

2

1

GO!

Aelita hit her gas petal as her car ran into the front car and pushed it out of the way. The driver of that car shook his hand and speed up.

Jeremy took the lead with no problem at all. He led for two whole laps and was on the final stretch for the last lap. …But one other kid was close behind him. He was driving the orange number 1 car. Jeremy veered to the left to block the kids attempt at the lead. Jeremy noticed a kid in the grey number 5 car and Aelita were gaining speed. Jeremy's helmet suddenly pinged as his ranking dropped from 1st to 2nd. Jeremy then realized the kid in the number 1 car was passing him. Jeremy bumped him a little with his tire. Both their cars shook hard. The kid in the grey number 5 car drove up and slammed into the left side of Jeremy. Jeremy was pinned between two cars. Suddenly the grey number 5 was hit hard from behind. Aelita hit the car again, forcing it to spin out. Jeremy pulled to the left hard as the orange number 1 car tried to hit him again. Instead he lost control and also spun out. Aelita and Jeremy drove side by side… neck and neck to the finish line. Both cars crossed at the same time… in the end the machine showed the winner….

Jeremy made it by an inch.

The cars stopped and the helmets came off the drivers. Aelita got out of the car and walked over to Jeremy.

"You know I could've won you know… but I let you…,"

Jeremy looked in shock. "You! Let me win… don't make me laugh… …best two out of three."

Aelita nodded. "You're on."

A buzzer rang out loud as the five men disguised as hotel bellhops sat in a room. The oldest one was laughing out loud at the picture on the book he had just pulled out of his desk.

"Matsumoto Out!" A voice said on the loud speaker. A man dressed in black came with a large wooden paddle. He whipped the older man on the rear extremely hard. Matsumoto let out a loud squeal, causing the others to bust out into laughter as well.

Odd chocked on his soda as he tried not to laugh. Yumi leaned back in the sofa and laughed at the noise Matsumoto made…. Ulrich wiped the soda from his nose. Sissi, who was finally understanding what was going on, laughed at first and then laughed at Ulrich's nose shot.

"He is… by far the bes…," Odd tried to say as he continued to laugh.

"I can tell he is the best one," Sissi said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I prefer Yamasaki. He met my father once in Tokyo," Yumi said as she stood up to change the video on youtube to the next part of the video special.

"I think by far the best part has been the ice cream with the picture on it that looks like a cartoon like angry Hamada," Ulrich said as he got up to blow his nose. "Any more pizza left?" Ulrich asked.

"I… think Odd ate the last piece," Sissi said as she opened the empty pizza box.

"What! I only had like… a slice," Ulrich said.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy," Odd said. "Soon to be a growing man."

"The only growing you ever do is in your annoyance," Ulrich said.

"Um do they normally argue like this?" Sissi asked.

"Yeah this is normal. Ulrich argues with Odd more than me anyways," Yumi said as she leaned back in her sofa. She looked at her phone and saw a text message from William. She picked it up and read the text.

"Cut date off early. Not to impressed. Got to work on homework. Tell you guys more in the mourning," Yumi read out loud.

"Who was his date with?" Sissi asked.

"Uh… Sarah Engle?" Yumi said. "I don't know why he went out with her."

"SARAH ENGLE! The girl is such a negative dork. I mean her sister is as nice as possible, and not bad looking to. But Sarah is a couple of cans short of a six pack."

"We realized that when Odd dated her," Ulrich said as he plopped down next to Yumi.

"Why on earth do that Odd?" Sissi asked as she looked towards him.

"I was hoping maybe to get close to her sister. I mean her sister is a 10. And when I first met Sarah she wasn't that bad either… till she started making jokes about Christians and such."

Sissi walked to the rest room as Yumi pushed play on the GakI No Tuskai video. She leaned on Ulrich as Ulrich rubbed her neck a little. Odd grabbed a soda from the 12 pack of Pepsi. He popped the top and took a drink from it. He looked towards the couple on the sofa as he chose his words carefully.

"So if Sissi is going to hang with us from now on… should we?" Odd asked.

"I think that is something we should all talk about together," Ulrich said as Yumi closed her eyes. Her neck had been stiff for a while, and in her opinion, no one did a better job at relaxing her then Ulrich.

"I already talked about it with William," Odd said.

"Odd what?" Yumi said as she opened her eyes.

"Well he brought it up first," Odd said in his defense.

"I think she might have changed… but it's too early to bring her on board. Besides maybe we don't need to," Ulrich said as he continued to rub her neck.

"But what if we need the extra help. I mean this is a new villain and all. And we barely beat him twice now," Odd said.

"Ok so what if we bring her on? Then we have the same issue as William," Yumi said

"But Xana never does the same attack twice," Odd said.

"Xana, no. Xervix, we don't know," Ulrich said.

"Look what if she just stayed on earth. Like a lookout or something."

Yumi leaned up real fast. She sprung so fast she surprised Ulrich.

"Look maybe this isn't the time to talk about it Odd. She is in the other room and can more than likely hear you," Yumi said a little loudly. Ulrich shushed her.

"Remember the last time you said that. You really hurt William badly," Ulrich said.

"Look I like Sissi now to. Just not in the way Odd is suggesting. I think we should wait

and see how she plays out, Odd, before you ask her. I'm sorry I yelled. But wait a while, then ask her," Yumi said as she sat back in Ulrich's arms.

"What?" Sissi said quietly. She heard most of it. She mostly heard Yumi talking but she was confused by it. "What does Yumi mean? Wait to ask her later, Odd…. Does Odd…,"

Sissi paused for a minute. She looked in the mirror a little and looked at herself. Her long black hair was still held in place by her barrette.

"Does Odd Dellarobia… …'like me' like me?"

The time was close to 9 p.m. Jeremy walked Aelita back to her room as she was wearing his jacket. It was a little chilly outside and Aelita was feeling a bit cold, so Jeremy put his jacket over her.

"I'm sorry the music was too loud and gave you a headache," Aelita said.

"Nah, it's ok. The important thing is you had fun," Jeremy said.

"I did," Aelita said as she smiled.

"So… wanna do this again next week?" Jeremy said.

"I would Lov…," Aelita said fast and loudly. "I mean… I would like that," Aelita was lying. This was the best time she had ever had. She really needed this more than anything. And it proved to her that Jeremy was in fact the one for her. She wanted to kiss him but remembered the words Sissi and Yumi told her. Not to kiss on the first date.

"Well… Goodnight Princess," Jeremy said as he took back his jacket.

"Goodnight… uh… DR. Zoidberg," Aelita said. She always found it funny that Jeremy could do a really good Dr. Zoidberg impression from Futurama. Every time he did it she would laugh about it non stop.

Aelita closed the door and slipped off her shoes. She laid her purse on the bed and suddenly realized.

"Wait. I got some aspirin. I should run it up to him real quick," Aelita thought in her mind. She grabbed the aspirin from her top drawer and slowly walked out the door. She had to be careful though; ever since Jim caught them in Jeremy's room that one time, he had been cautious ever since. Even though kids were caught in each other's rooms making out, Jim still watched them closely.

Aelita made her way to Jeremy's room. She prepared to knock quietly when the door swung open. Jeremy frantically ran out and almost ran into Aelita. They both stopped within inches of each other. Their eyes made contact as they both began to breath heavy. Aelita's cheeks blushed bright red, as did Jeremy's. Jeremy was starting to sweat a little as he whispered her name. She whispered his back. They slowly began to move towards each other when they heard a grunting noise behind them.

"_Stopped again… Dammit," _they both thought in their heads. They looked over Aelita's shoulder to see a firm and angry Jim looking at them.

"And what have we here children?" Jim said.

"I was… I was…. Giving Jeremy some aspirin was all. He has a headache," Aelita said as she handed the aspirin to Jeremy.

"Uh yeah…. Thanks Aelita," Jeremy said. Jeremy took the vial from her hand as he noticed Aelita smiling and winking at the same time. Jeremy smiled back.

"Well goodnight gentlemen," Aelita said as she walked off.

Jeremy turned to the door when he noticed Jim still looking at him. With the same stance and look.

"Uh … he…. Pills," Jeremy said as he closed the door and locked it.

The two men in black suits walked to the back alley, towards a black van. They slid the door open and stepped inside. The van was covered wall to wall with computers and monitors. On the monitors were pictures of the school, and the hotel the feds were staying in.

"Looks like your old friend is in town. Mister Frank Morse?" Jerome said to Chris.

Chris looked at the photo of Frank… he noticed how much older he looked then when he… "used" him.

"Frank Morse is a washed out drunk who played his role. But thanks to him we have to follow this girl to France to clean up his mess. For that he paid the ultimate price," Chris said.

"Was it worth it? Killing his wife?" one agent asked.

"It was… such is the fate of simple fragile pawns…. When the time comes… I will send him to visit his wife."

Well here is chapter 27. every jerlita fans dream here...maybe. i figured they might have some from of romance and then some form of teen spirit moment. The show Odd, Ulrich, sissi and Yumi are watching is called Gaki No Tsukai. its a hilarious japanese show you should check into. This chapter marks the final chapter of the old order. in the next few chapters, the whole thing comes into play. everything and everyone will be explained. and the truth of lyoko. the system. Aelita and even the furture comes full OR NO CIRCLE


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 28

Where is My Mind?

The sun rose over the streets of Amines. Frank stood on the balcony of his apartment. He glanced out onto the golden sun as it rose into the air; he heard the sound of birds chirping as they flew about with their morning activities, gathering food and building their nests.

Frank whistled a little as he pulled two items out of his pocket. In one hand was a bible, the other an S&W 23 tarus revolver. He set down the bible and walked inside. The apartment was run down, a sign of the shanty hotel he had rented for the past few days.

He laid the gun on the bed as he reached into his back pack and pulled out his second little toy. A sawed off double barrel shotgun. He loaded it with the only two shells he had and placed it in the duffle bag. He pulled out the box of 9 mm's and loaded his revolver with six shells. He reached under his pillow and pulled out his third weapon of choice. A berretta M9. He placed three magazines in his pockets and walked over to his dresser. On the dresser were the remains of last night's alcohol.

"What a good day it's going to be," Frank said as he finished the bottle of alcohol that was on his dresser.

He put the revolver in its sling around his ankle. He placed the M9 in its sling and threw the bottle in the trash. He looked around the room to make sure everything was good and cleaned. He didn't want to leave any evidence of where he was or what he was doing.

He picked up the bible and opened it to a page with an envelope in it. He pulled out the envelope and placed it in his pocket. The heat was already sweltering and Frank was already having trouble breathing. He wiped the sweat from his brow and walked to the door. He closed the door and made his way to the elevator.

He walked up to the clerk and turned in his key. He paid for the room with the last of his money; he wouldn't be needing it anymore.

Frank stepped out into the heat wearing his dress pants and jacket with a white t shirt underneath it. He squinted at the golden sunrise in his face and breathed heavily.

"Today is a good day for redemption."

Yumi woke to the sound of her alarm clock. It was her usual chirping bird alarm; the sound of a robin always seemed to sooth her when she was awoken form a deep sleep. Any other noise like a blue jay would just scare the hell out of her. One thing she didn't like was to be pulled out of a deep sleep.

Yumi rolled out of bed and stretched for the ceiling. Yumi felt the cool air from her room's air conditioner on her skin. She slept in a thin white night gown. She usually wore pajama bottoms and a under shirt to sleep. But in this heat she just left them off. It allowed her to breathe under the covers at night. Even though she had an air conditioner in her room it still got pretty hot at night in her room.

Yumi laid on the floor and began her daily morning routine: 50 sit ups and 40 pushups. She liked to stay in shape; the number of years fighting on Lyoko had helped tone her body into a body any woman would want. In fact she was quite proud of her physique. She was in a way the health nut of the group. A while back she made the decision she wanted to be a doctor. It was something about helping people she felt she had a calling for. Any time a member of the gang was hurt or sick she could help recognize what it was right away. Or treat their wounds. Her best was the time Ulrich fell down the stairs and scrapped his arm and face real well. It wasn't a pretty sight for her but she found she enjoyed it, or, at least, the fact that she was able to help.

Yumi walked to her dresser and grabbed her underwear and clothes for the day. She walked into her bathroom and turned on the shower. She slipped off the night gown and stepped into the shower. As the cool water hit her she stood wondering something. It had been a few weeks since the gang turned on the computer and Xervix appeared. But it wasn't his arrival that concerned her. It was the fact that the RTTP program was deactivated. _Why was it shut off? _She wondered as she applied soap to her arms.

After a few minutes Yumi turned off the water and stepped out of the stall. She grabbed her towel and began to dry herself off. She began to put on her clothes when her cell phone went off. She walked into her room and put her shirt on. She grabbed the phone and looked at the message. The text was from an unknown number…. She opened the text and read the message.

_Get to the factory at 8:00 pm tonight. The truth will be revealed. _

Yumi looked at the message and stared at it. She texted back to whoever it was. There was no response. Yumi texted Jeremy about the message; there was no response.

"They must not be up yet," Yumi thought as she walked downstairs for her breakfast.

Yumi walked downstairs to the usual family crowd. Hiroki was playing his PSP, Dad reading his newspaper and their mother preparing breakfast for them.

"Looks like they still haven't figured out the super virus deal we keep hearing about," Yumi's father, Takeo said.

"I heard that because of it, all countries with nuclear weapons have had the bombs deactivated until the virus is destroyed or traced, in case it turns out to be terrorists," Yumis mother, Akiko said as she poured Takeo a fresh cup of coffee. "Think you better tell them dear?" She whispered.

"Alright," Takeo said as he stood up. "Yumi, Hiroki. Your mother and I have an announcement to make." Yumi and Hiroki both looked up in confusion. Hiroki started to sweat a little.

"Your mother and I are going on vacation… I got us tickets to Cancun, Mexico."

"Really! Wow nice one guys," Yumi said.

"That's all? I was scared for a minute," Hiroki said.

"Why were you scared dear?" Akiko asked.

"I was worried you were going to say we had a little brother or sister on the way," Hiroki said.

"Hiroki!" Takeo said as his face showed his expression. Anger and embarrassment. "Go get ready for school." Hiroki got up and ran upstairs real fast. Yumi grabbed herself a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge as she got ready to leave.

"When is your trip?" Yumi asked.

"The first week of June. So in about four weeks or so. We'll make it up to you guys I promise," Takeo said.

"Well I got to go. Ulrich and I are going to go hang out at the mall tonight. I'll be home by ten, I promise," Yumi said as she hugged both her parents and ran out the door. Her parents waved at her as she shut the door.

"You know… it might be nice to have another kid," Akiko said as she leaned on Takeo's shoulder.

"I do miss having the sound of young feet running through the house."

Travis sat in the corner of the room as he watched the clock on the wall click 8:00am. He couldn't sleep last night due to the jet lag that had occurred when they arrived, yet for some reason George and Jessica were passed out and sleeping like crazy.

Travis had all the intel packed in the suitcase. The agent that the French Intelligence was sending them was due to arrive in a few hours. Yet something was troubling him. If Waldo Schaeffer came to Amines to hide out and made it out of the country successfully, what became of him? According to Waldo's journal it said that according to his calculations that the organization might have captured him by now. If that was the case, was his kid safe? Or was little Aelita in the possession of Mal-Tech? Something just didn't feel right, something felt wrong about all of it.

Travis opened the blinds to the window. It was already a hot and stagnant day. Travis walked outside of the room and breathed in the warm air. He hadn't slept in a few days… in fact he hadn't slept in a few years. He glanced down at the colored ring on his left hand… as his mind slowly glanced back.

Travis stood outside the doctor's office. He was waiting for news. The news he had wanted to hear for so long… the news that would change the rest of his life….

The doctor's door flew open as a young brown haired girl walked out. She wore a yellow shirt and sweat pants. She had small freckles and a thick pair of glasses. She was at first glance a nerd. But after you looked past all of the clothing and the glasses, she was actually quite a cute girl….

"_Her name was Wendy… and she was my fiancée...,"_ Travis thought in the back of his mind.

"Well?" Travis asked.

Wendy shook a little as tears formed in her eyes…. "I'm not… pregnant," Wendy said

Travis's heart…. His soul sunk. He felt shallow and pale. He slowly hugged the crying Wendy as she sobbed.

"I… I really thought this time. I thought we had proven the doctor wrong when he said I couldn't…," Wendy said as her eyes sobbed more and more.

"We…. We'll just have to try again." Travis said.

"WHAT'S THE POINT? IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT," Wendy yelled at the top of her lungs, "We have tried for years Travis…. Years and nothing. It's never gonna happen."

"Don't talk like that! You have been wanting this more than anyone," Travis said.

"…No, I'm not ready. I'm just not ready," Wendy said.

"Don't sit there and do that. I'm getting tired of that. I'm tired of you locking me out; I'm tired of you running to your stupid video games. I'm tired of you hiding. I love you, don't you get that? But sometimes I wonder if this relationship isn't one sided," Travis said.

"I love you too… but."

"But nothing Wendy. I'm tired of you doing this. We have almost broke up twice now because of it. Enough is enough," Travis said.

"TAKE ME HOME!" Wendy yelled. The whole hospital floor was silent as the patients and staff looked in the direction of the arguing couple.

"…Sure… I'll take you home. So you can shut yourself off in your imaginary world."

The drive home was quiet as Wendy wept a little. Travis's face was bright as blood. His face showed no emotion but inside, his heart was ripped in half. They had met in college. She went to Washington State University while he was in town on a vacation. They hung out once and then went to create a long distance relationship. Their relationship was rocky at first, mostly because Travis was Wendy's first relationship. But they soon got engaged. However after the engagement they still had the same issues… some wounds don't heal, Travis thought in his mind.

"I love you," Travis said. There was no reply from Wendy. She sat in the seat and looked out the window.

"I'm not trying to start a fight but maybe you have an addiction to video games. I mean remember that one year in college you had so many issues. Maybe we should consider it," Travis suggested as he noticed a black van coming up behind him.

"It's no use. I'm so lazy, so stupid. How can you love me? How can I love anyone?" Wendy said.

"When you're not hiding it you do. You just need to quit being so shy. I mean that's what hurts me the most. Is when you think you're so terrible towards someone," Travis said. "Yeah, there are times you hurt me a lot. I mean times where I feel the pain. But when I see your face, hear your voice, and think about how much I love you... The pain goes away."

"But my question is do you love me?" Travis asked.

The van pushed the rear bumper of the car a little as it sped up to pass Wendy and Travis.

"You asshole!" Travis yelled as he flipped off the van. The van got in front of them and slowed down. The van slowed down so bad Travis had to hit his brakes hard.

Travis veered into the other lane to avoid hitting the van… in time to see an oncoming truck.

Everything seemed to slow down for a few seconds as Travis looked over towards Wendy… the same sympathetic look in her face. She had no idea what was about to happen…. Travis leaned over to try and cover her up… but it was too late.

The truck smashed into the small Ford head on. Glass shattered as the dashboard slammed into Travis's side. He felt a sharp sudden pain in his side as the car crumbled up like a tuna can. The force and angle of the truck flipped the car over on its side. The roof collapsed instantly as Wendy screamed as loud as she could. Travis felt a sudden pain in the back of his head as the car landed on its roof. His face was slashed and torn. He screamed in pain as he looked toward Wendy… she was still looking out the window…. She looked back towards Travis as Travis saw what she was looking at. A large semi barreling down upon them. Its brakes squealed as it tried to come to a stop. But it was still closing in.

"WENDY!" Travis yelled as he reached for her.

The car shook violently as Travis was jarred again by the collision. The car flipped over the cab of the semi and slammed onto the ground with the force of a small bomb. The rear section tore away, revealing the interior of the car. All Travis heard afterwards was a loud pinging noise.

Travis woke up hanging upside down. His whole body ached from pain. His arm was broken and his face was scratched and torn. His left eye felt funny for some reason till he noticed his vision was seeing two different things at once. He felt for his eye but felt a small ball on a string. He felt it as it hurt worse than ever… then his heart raced as he realized what it was.

His eye was hanging out of its socket.

Travis screamed in pain and fear over what he had discovered. He calmed down a little as he realized what he had to do. He slowly picked up the eye ball, still attached, and slowly forced it into his socket. Travis cried out in agony as he blinked repeatedly. Travis could see a little out of his left eye. It was fine.

Travis forced his door open as he realized how bad he was hurt. He had a broken hand and leg, and was having trouble breathing. Blood trickled down his face and onto the pavement as the hot spring pavement welcomed him with tough open arms. Travis slowly crawled on his stomach around to the other side. He then realized something was wrong.

"Wendy," He murmured. Travis slowly made his way around to the passenger side. At that time he felt some one walk up to him. He couldn't hear what the person was saying. He just knew he was trying to help him. Travis pushed him aside as he made his way to the passenger side door.

"Buddy, stop. You need to sit down," the truck driver said as the driver of the truck and a few other motorists came to help.

"WENDY!" Travis yelled. "Where is Wendy?"

"Sir," the driver said.

"I don't care about me," Travis grunted. "Where is my fiancée?"

Travis released the driver as he waddled towards the passenger side door. He got down low to the ground and peered inside. His eyes adjusted to the darkness from the inside of the car. He saw Wendy sitting in her seat still.

"Wendy," Travis murmured.

…

"Wendy, please, not now. Don't ignore me."

…

"Wendy, quit blowing me off."

…..

"Wendy?"

….

"Wendy!" Travis said loudly, "Wendy!"

Travis grabbed her shoulder with his only good arm, and shook her with all his might.

"WENDY!" Travis yelled at the top of his lungs. Travis began to cry as he realized what was wrong with Wendy.

"NO! NO NO NO NOOOO!" Travis yelled as the other motorist tried to pull him away from the car.

"NO, WHY! YOU WERE MY EVERYTHING! I DID ALL THIS FOR YOU. DON'T LEAVE ME!" Travis yelled.

"SHE'S NOT DEAD, SHE IS ONLY SLEEPING!" Travis said with tears in his eyes.

"We were gonna get married! We were going to have children," Travis said as he looked into the eyes of the truck driver.

Travis's senses were now dead. He felt no pain. No anger. No sadness. He just felt hollow now.

Travis screamed into the air as loud as he could. The arriving policemen were startled by the sound he made. Travis screamed as loud as he could, so that his voice would reach the heavens. He wanted god to realize that what had happened was more of a pain to him than death.

Travis sat in the hospital bed as other FBI agents visited him and gave him their well wishes. But he just stared at the wall. He was nothing now. He didn't blink, he didn't breathe, he was gone from the world.

"I'm…..Sorry Travis." George said as he held Travis's hand. "I'm sorry it happened."

Travis said nothing as he stared at the wall.

George got up to walk out when finally Travis spoke.

"Three weeks," Travis said.

George turned around. "What?"

"May 3rd. Wendy's birthday. That was when the baby was going to be born…. Wendy was three weeks pregnant when she died. The doctor was wrong."

Seven months later.

Travis laid on the couch surrounded by a large army of empty beer bottles. The apartment looked like it had seen better days. The dishes were piling up in the sink; the laundry was sitting on the floor; the fridge door was open. All the food inside had gone stale and old.

Travis looked dirty and scruffy. He had grown out a full grown beard which was filthy and grimy. He has seen better days.

He slowly sat up and looked around. He didn't care how he looked or how the apartment looked. He just didn't care anymore. He slowly made his way into the bathroom which was surprisingly still clean. He closed his eyes as he remembered the face he had seen so long ago. The face of his fiancée dead. The funeral was bad enough. Her parents blamed him for the accident, claiming that Wendy could have and should have done better. And that her blood was on his hands.

Travis made his way out of the bathroom when he heard a knock on the door. Travis hesitated for a few seconds as the knock came a second time. Travis finally made his way over to the door and opened it. He saw the familiar and friendly face of George Knight. His partner in the bureau.

"Hey stranger. How's the leave?" George asked.

Travis didn't reply. He just stood there.

"Mind if I come in?" George asked.

Travis said nothing as he stepped out of the way. George walked inside the apartment as his nostrils smelled the foul smell that had echoed in the apartment for months. He was disgusted at the site he saw. His best friend was literally in pieces. George felt a swell of sadness for the pull soul.

"Travis… man…. I know you're probably still hurting but you know enough is enough. It's time to move on," George said.

"I can't," Travis said.

"Look, it was a terrible thing, I know. You were in love with Wendy, I know, but enough is enough, she would want you to move on," George said.

"I CAN'T MOVE ON! SHE WAS EVERYTHING TO ME!" Travis yelled.

"DO YOU THINK SHE WOULD WANT YOU TO LIVE THIS WAY?" George yelled.

"I… I don't care," Travis said. Travis suddenly felt a sharp pain in his gut. He kneeled over from it as he realized that George had punched him in the gut.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? She wants you to live happily," George said. "I'm sorry it happened, I really am. But do you think she likes watching this from heaven?"

"She didn't love me... she didn't know what she wanted," Travis said.

"Bull man. You two were engaged. You were going to have a kid. So she had trouble expressing her feelings. So what? You knew what those feelings were," said George.

Travis paused as he listened to George. His face drifted slowly to the good times he had with Wendy, and all the joy she had given him.

"Is this how you would want to see her again? Would you want her to see you like this? In pain and agony?" George asked.

"I… I guess not," Travis said as he slowly sat down.

"It's just that the last time I saw her alive... I asked her if she loved me…. She never answered."

Present.

Travis sat at the desk looking through all the files. He flipped through the files for Aelita. He pulled out a small digitally enhanced picture; it showed what Aelita would look like at the age of 13. Long pink hair, curly, glasses and the same innocent look on her face as her picture when she was four.

Travis glanced at her birth records. His skin crawled and his heart stopped as he realized what her birthdate was.

"May… 3rd. 1982.…" The same year as when he calculated the birth of his first child.

Travis breathed heavily as he glanced back at the photo. _What was it? Why did this case matter to him so much? Was it how Aelita reminded him of Wendy? Or that she was born on the date his first child was to be born? _

Travis put the picture in his right jacket pocket. He would need it if they ever found her location and had to see if it was her or not.

"Morning Travis," a voice said as his hotel room door opened. Jessica stepped inside as Travis turned on the light on the desk.

"Hey," Travis said. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby," Jessica said. "You?"

"I never sleep. Too many nightmares."

Odd and Ulrich stood outside the cafeteria as they normally did. Jeremy was in the shower and Aelita was on her way down. William was still asleep and Sissi was getting a bottle of orange juice. The heat was terrible outside. Odd was wiping the sweat from his brow constantly. He couldn't stand the heat at all.

"I mean why is it out of all of the rooms in the school our air conditioner doesn't work?" Odd asked.

"It doesn't bother me that much," Ulrich said.

"Why doesn't it? I mean I toss and turn at night and you just lay over there," Odd asked.

"Because I go shower every night. And I don't dry off so when I put my PJ's on the water soaks into the clothes and keeps me cool at night. Besides Jim said he is going to install a new air conditioner in our room today anyways," Ulrich said.

"It's about time. Any sooner and I was going to go steal one from Theo," Odd said as Sissi walked over.

"I mean it was wrong for them to have us wait a whole day for it," Odd protested.

"Odd… our air conditioner just died yesterday," Ulrich said.

"Still. My family pays a lot for me to come here. I expect their money's worth," Odd demanded.

"Is your family rich Odd?" Sissi asked.

"Well my mother is an artist while my father is retired from the army," Odd said. "They get some money from my father's retirement."

"Wait! Your father is like what? 45? Why is he retired?" Ulrich asked.

"He can't say. Something about a project in America. But he met my mother on that project."

"My parents met during a James bond movie… that's all I got," Sissi said as she drank from her bottle.

"Um... I don't want to say about my parents," Ulrich said.

"I know, buddy," Odd said.

"What?" Sissi asked.

"We'll tell you later. It's kind of personal," Ulrich said.

"…Ok." Sissi said. Ulrich and Odd fought down their relief.

Jeremy and Aelita made their way outside. The heat was already bearing down on them. Jeremy was still wet from the shower, but now he was slowly getting wet from the sweat. Aelita wasn't as hot as she had been. She actually felt perfectly fine, although she was still quite tired. She felt as if she had just gotten out of bed. She was tired and stressed out. But the news Jeremy had told Aelita was enough to get her feeling better.

"So this weekend we're going to stay at your parents'?" Aelita asked.

"Well they want us to. But... I don't know," Jeremy said.

"What do you mean?" Aelita asked.

"Well I need to get to the factory later and work on the super computer. I want to find out why the RTTP program stopped working. And we need to keep an eye out for Xervix," Jeremy said.

"No, we can go tonight. We both need the break Jer," Aelita said.

"But we can't. What if Xervix attacks?" Jeremy said in defiance.

"Jeremy. We both have been doing too much. I'm ill from something and you're too tired to stay awake in school," Aelita said as she turned around and grabbed his hands.

"You're all I have left in the world. I have nothing. I don't want to lose you Jeremy. I… I...," Aelita tried to say it but the words couldn't come out.

"...Aelita. If it means that much then we will go spend the weekend at my parents'. If it helps you feel better, then it's worth it," Jeremy said.

"Um Jeremy…. Can we go on another date like we did the other night?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy paused. His face was showed the expression of a protective friend. But deep down inside he was screaming for joy like a little school boy. He felt like he wanted to go run on top of the factory and scream for joy! But for the moment he played it cool and calm.

"Sure we can. We will go next week. Deal?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita's face shined with joy. "Deal."

"So how about we head over to the factory as soon as Yumi gets here so you can get to work on the computer," Aelita suggested.

Jeremy's face shined even brighter with joy. "Deal," Jeremy said.

Chapter 28 is up. i decided thier would be a little backstory on Travis since i have a lot of people asking me what his deal is and all. also a little set up for the next fight. thier final fight in france i guess you could say. its not much i know but it should hold you over till the next chapter


	30. Chapter 30

CH. 29

Man On The Moon

Amines, France.

Two agents sat inside a small room. They sat side by side watching the Television. They where emotionless, they where silent, they looked like ghost,s. In the room were four other agents. They where working on sepreate projects and various machines. One was listening to the audio from the American agents room, one was watching video tapes of the original Vorseas Project. And the other two where unloading thier weapons. They all wore the same black suits and sunglasses, with a small audio receptor in thier ear communicating with other agents around the city.. around the country...around the world . They had all their gear ready. Guns, tranquilizers, and cell phones. They sat watching TV, waiting for a call. Waiting for a green light.

In the middle of the group was a man with grayish white hair. He sat there with his arms folded, watching a show about a monkey in school. He was ready. He know they were waiting for a call that had been waiting for several years. It had been a call for the one thing his agency had been looking for. One person. Maybe the most important person on the face of the earth, maybe even as important as Jesus.

His cell phone rang as he slowly and calmly reached in and pulled it out. He looked at the number and flipped up the receiver. He placed it into his ear and listened.

"Irene," the voice calmly said.

Jerome closed the phone and stood up.

"Everyone, we have trouble. The FBI is here. Give the Asset the green light. Take them out ASAP. And move in on the local and private schools. If the Americans are here... so are they."

The Factory. 5:00pm.

"And all it said was be here at 8," Yumi said as she sat out back of the factory with her cold bottle of coke. "At first I thought it was you texting me good morning like you usually do but it wasn't."

Ulrich, William and Odd were swinging golf balls out back of the factory into the abandoned shed near the waterfront. It was mostly a storage shed for when the factory was active. But ever since Odd bought all the useless crap at the local garage sale it was currently used to help Odd work on his drive. It was unclear why Odd had taken up a sudden intrest in sports but then again it was Odd. No one ever knew if or when he ws serious...excpet Odd.

"Well have you told Jeremy yet?" Ulrich asked as he placed another golf ball on the tee.

"I did and he said he didn't send it. Neither did Aelita. So it must be Xervix."

"But if Xervix runs the same way as Xana, he would need to activate a tower to leave the computer, right?" William said as he swung a ball. It cleared the fence and landed in the water.

"No, that's for if he attacks. He could contact the outside if he wanted," Yumi said as she flipped on her sunglasses.

"You know, you should work on a tan in this heat, Yumi. Sissi tans on the roof of the school," Odd said.

"Sissi, Sissi, Sissi. That's almost all I hear from you these days, Odd," William teased. As Odd Glared at him.

"Anyways I don't like to tan. I burn too easily. Like the time we went to the water park?"

"That was bad," Ulrich said as he swung his club and hit the ball. "You blistered all on your poor arms and legs."

"Well, I mean, you wear black a lot, Yumi. And black attracts heat," Odd said as he fiddled through the bag for a new tee.

"That's why I get naval shirts. And I stopped wearing that black sweatshirt too if you noticed," Yumi said. "And I just don't like wearing shorts. I don't feel comfy in them."

"That's the tomboy in you," Ulrich said as he walked over and grabbed a drink. "But that's what I love about you," Ulrich said as he kissed Yumi on the lips.

"Not to sound creepy but I liked it to. But honestly I'm more of a book worm kind of guy," William said.

"Why book worms?" Yumi asked.

"Well they speak their mind and listen also. They're better than, say, party girls… and the only one here is Tanell."

"I hate her. She keeps thinking she can get me to leave Yumi for her. No way that's ever gonna happen," Ulrich said as he sat down next to Yumi.

"She wants you to what?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah. She keeps saying she will get the rest of us in trouble unless I date her instead of you."

"That little brat," Yumi said, " I wanna tear her big dumb teeth out," she said as she slammed her bottle to the ground.

"It doesn't matter Yumi. I made my choice. And I'm sticking by it," Ulrich said as he hugged Yumi. "I got the best girl in school."

"So… you don't wanna dump me?" Yumi said. The other guys stopped and looked at Yumi.

"Where would you get that?" Ulrich asked.

"Well… Tanell said to me once that guys like you use girls like me to get to a better person. And I kind of believed her," Yumi said as she lowered her head…. She felt Ulrich's fingers on her chin as she felt him raise her head.

"Trust me.. your the most important person in my life right now. No one else."

Ulrich put his hands on Yumi's shoulders. He looked up just a little bit to see her eyes since she was taller than him.

"So dont listen to that idiot. Besides when Sissi did it you never let her ger under your skin so why now?" Ulrich said as he kissed Yumi on the lips. Yumi closed her eyes as she felt her lips touch his. They held it there for a few minutes until he pulled back.

"I love you Ulrich...," Yumi said happily.

"Um… did you forget we were here?" Odd asked.

"Seriously...were watching the whole dang Thing...from start to finish." William said jokingly.

Ulrich and Yumi's faces turned bright red as they realized they had forgotten about the others.

"Why don't you guys just get the rings and get it over with," William said as he grabbed his soda and took a swig from it.

"Oh please they just started dating...it will be 3 or for decades before they even tie the knot." Odd Laughed as Willam Coughed up his soda.

"Yeah well at least we have each other." Yumi said as she wrapped her arms around Ulrich.

"I got some one too you know." Odd said as he picked up his golf club. "Good old Kiwi."

Odd swung his golf club and hit the golf ball. It flew into a glass window of the shed and shattered it. It flew in and hit a concrete slab as it bounced off it and flew back outside the window. The gang flinched and freaked out as the ball flew past William and hit the ground behind him.

"OH wow," Odd said as he burst into laughter.

"Holy… ...I got to pry the toenails out of the ground," Ulrich said as Yumi was laughing at the top of her lungs.

"I saw Williams eyes get big and…," Yumi said as she kept laughing.

"...I need to change my pants." William said as he dropped his club.

Aelita walked to her room to drop off her book bag. She was going to meet Jeremy at the vending machines and they would walk together to the factory. She stepped in and placed her bag on her bed next to her nightgown and Mister Puck.

"_What a day" _Aelita tought to her self as she slipped off her Shoes. She slipped off her shirt and reached into the closet to grab a new one. She reached for the new pink tee shirt she bought at the store a few nights ago when she went clothes shopping with Yumi. It was pink with a pair of white angel wings on it. She grabbed it and slipped off her Pants and grabbed her new mini skirt. It was a Purpleish bage color with small red leggings underneath it which where attached to it.

Aelita laid it on the bed with her shirt as she reached into the small minifridge that Jeremy's parents had so kindly bought her for the school year. She reached in and glanced at the diffrent types of drinks and small healthy snack foods she had bought.

"Why not. Aelita said as she reached in and grabbed a Mountain Dew. She flipped the tab to it and took a small swig out of it. She placed the soda on the desk and walked over to her bed. She grabbed her Tee-shirt and placed it on. She then sat on the bed and slipped into her new miniskirt. She glanced over at her door when she saw a small slip of paper underneath it. She walked over and picked it up. It was a letter. She flipped it over and saw the return address.

"Frank Morse from… COLORADO US?" Aelita said as she double talked on what it said. Her hand shook a little as she ripped the letter open and removed its contents. It was a postcard. It read. "Having a good time in Colorado. Wish you were here."

"Really Jeremy...silly boy." Aelita said with a smile on her face.

A knock came to the door and startled Aelita a little. She walked to the door and opened it to see her young blonde friend with his usual smile.

"You know. You were supposed to go to the vending machines and meet me there silly goose," Jeremy said as he walked in.

"Is this your doing again?" Aelita asked.

"What?"

"This?" Aelita said as she held up the postcard. "You did this once before you know. I mean I liked it and all but don't you think once is enough?"

"…I didn't send you a postcard Aelita. Who is it from?" Jeremy asked.

"Frank Morse from Colorado U.S. Are you sure this is not you?" Aelita asked with one eyebrow raised.

"No. Maybe some of the others might know about it," Jeremy asked as he walked over to the other side of her room.

"It's so weird…,"

"Did it come in this envelope?" Jeremy asked as he picked it up.

"Yeah, it did."

"There is something else in here," Jeremy said. Aelita picked up her head at the news as she walked over to see what it was. Jeremy pulled out a picture. It showed a rundown house sitting on a hill in the middle of a snow covered forest. The house was boarded up and showed signs of distress along the frame.

"Why does this look so familiar?" Aelita asked. ...Suddenly it snapped. She ran to her bed and reached underneath it for a large book. It had all the pictures of her life before Lyoko. Her childhood. Her first bike. Her father…. Her mother. Then she found it. A picture of her father and mother holding each other. Aelita's mother was pregnant with Aelita herself and seemed quite happy as she held her swollen belly…while standing in front of a house similar to the one in the picture.

"Oh… my god," Aelita murmured. "It's my old house."

"What?" Jeremy asked

"It's my old house from before my mom disappeared," Aelita said in amazement.

"But I thought you used to live near the Swiss Alps," Jeremy said.

"I did too but that was a very long time ago…. It means I'm American. That means I might even still have family back there in Colorado," Aelita said excitedly.

"Wait… how do we know this isn't a trick from Xervix? I mean Xana used to do this and it could be the same trick," Jeremy said.

"It could be but…. I don't know. I want to believe it's true though. I mean, I have no idea who I really am or where I'm from. All I have ever known was my father and here."

"Well we could look into it. I'm sure there is a way to find out the truth," Jeremy said as he sat down in Aelita's chair.

"Oh sure… let's just call some people we know from Colorado and say "_Hi, you may not know me but there is the possibility that I may be related to you or even know you. Can you help me?'" _Aelita said as she stood in front of Jeremy.

"Yeah… ...I'm sorry. But one thing is bothering me," Jeremy said.

"What?"

"If this letter is legit... how did this Frank Morse person learn your address here in Amines?" Jeremy said.

Aelita paused as she looked at the letter. "You don't think… ...this is them, do you?"

"Why would they come looking for you now? They think you're dead… and besides, you're protected now. My parents took you in, remember?"

"I know but… what if they come for me?" Aelita asked.

"Then… I'll fight for you… like I always have," Jeremy said as he stood up and hugged Aelita.

"But I dont wanna...i dont want to lose you Jeremy. Your all have left.

Your all care for."

"I wont let them take you Aelita. I swear to god i will never let them hurt you again"

Aelita looked up at him and stared into Jeremy's eyes. She saw the soft feel behind them again… the same feel that made her safe and warm. She slowly reached up and removed his glasses.

"You should get contacts… really," Aelita said as she wrapped her arms around Jeremy and laid her head on his chest so she could listen to Jeremy's heart.

Jeremy's face was bright red from Aelita's actions…. He tried to calm down but he could not.

" I forgot how warm you where…," Aelita said as she looked into his face. "Jeremy?"

"Yes, Aelita?" Jeremy said….Both of them stared at each other for a while. Thier eyes both locked as the world around them seemd to move slowly.

Slowly his head reached down towards her face. Aelita closed her eyes as she leaned towards Jeremy.

They felt each other's lips touch.

Jeremy felt wonderful…. He felt warm and complete. Ulrich was right. When it happens… you feel like you're in heaven.

Aelita felt so warm. Her heart was racing and yet she was loving every minute of it… she wanted to stay that way forever.

Aelita slowly stepped away as they both opened their eyes at the same time… ...they stared at each other not knowing what to say next.

"….Hi," Jeremy said.

"Hi…," Aelita said as she smiled.

"I'm so sorry I didn't… mea…,"Jeremy tried to explain until he noticed Aelita was smiling.

"Jeremy… it's OK... I liked that…. You've done so much for me Jeremy, I can't imagine living without you...,"

"I can't either Aelita," Jeremy said. He leaned down again for another kiss…. Aelita closed in her distance as well. They got within inches when Aelita's cell phone went off. Both Jeremy and Aelita opened their eyes to the sound of the Subdigitals _Break Away_.

"At least we kissed once," Aelita said as she sighed.

Aelita picked up her phone and answered it.

"That was Yumi. She wants to know when we will be coming to the factory."

"Yeah, we better…," Jeremy couldn't finish as Aelita kissed him quickly on the lips.

"For good luck with the computer," Aelita said as she put the postcard and the picture under her bed. The two headed for the door as they made their way out of the building...Holding Hands.

The streets of Amines were actually quiet and calm for a Sunday afternoon. Most people were at church or were visiting family. Only a select view were sadly forced to work on this day. Small businesses that thought more of themselves then their employees. Businesses that saw their employees as assets more than people… ...Retail Businesses.

A black and silver Mustang GT drove down the old styled road and pulled up onto a curb. The car came to a halt as the engine idled down and shut off. Three people stepped out of the car as one of them carried a silver brief case. The driver stepped out and checked his side arm in his holster.

"Is that the French agent there?" George asked.

"Yeah. Jinee Dupree," Jessica said as she looked towards the bald elderly man sitting at a coffee table. "He is a member of the DGSE."

Jinee was a young man in his late 30s. He wore a blue button up shirt with hints of green in the fabric. He had tan skin with curly black hair. His hair was shoulder length and smooth. Almost as if he had gelled it earlier that day. His features and looks almost made him look somewhat… Middle Eastern. Had it not been for the way he spoke. Pure English. His English was so good that he could have fooled anyone that he was from France.

"Agent Jinee Dupree. Member of Directorate-General for External Security," Dupree said as he stood up.

"Agents Travis Dalesman and George Knight of the FBI. This is CIA analyst Jessica Hillsabeck," Travis said as he shook Dupree's hand and sat down at the table.

"So… how do you three like the French community?" Dupree asked.

"Well… I had to bring my baby," George said as he pointed towards his Mustang.

"Right American Muscle i see. Very good. So, Franz Hopper, huh?" Dupree said as he waved his hand for the garcon.

"Right. We know him as Waldo Schaeffer. An American who disappeared though our witness protection program. Now assuming this is the same individual as your… Franz Hopper."

"Well, Franz Hopper came over here from America… and he brought a daughter… Aelita Hopper," Dupree said as he pulled out two small pictures from his jacket pocket. One was of Waldo…. He had more grayish hair and was already working on a small mustache. Aelita looked sad and depressed. She seemed hollow and alone. According to her picture, she was five when it was taken… the same age as when her mother disappeared.

"This is the same little girl as our pictures," Jessica said as she looked at Aelita's picture. She set it down and looked at Franz Hopper's pic.

"And this is for sure Waldo Schaeffer. So then Franz Hopper and his daughter are in fact the Schaeffers."

"Franz used to teach math at a boarding school for gifted youngsters just outside of town… Kadic Academy. His daughter was enrolled there too. But she was mostly home schooled," Dupree said as he received a plate of escargot and some coffer.

"Agent Dalesman? Would you like some Snail?"

Travis stared at the snail as it sat moved on his plate… he watched as a small stream of slime dripped down slowly. Travis felt a sudden surge of pain in his stomach… he knew what was coming.

"Um… ...oh shi…," Travis said as he slowly stood up and walked over to the bathroom.

"Agent Knight?" Dupree asked.

"No thanks…. We don't really eat… snail… in America," George said as he tried to be as nice as possible.

Dupree pulled the snail out of the shell and popped it in his mouth…. Jessica tried not to look as she looked around the small outdoor restaurant.

"So, um…. Did Franz Hopper have any other friends or family here?" Jessica asked.

"This we are not sure… we questioned most of the staff at the school… the only one left from Hopper's disappearance is a principal… Mr. Delmas. He seemed to be as close a friend to Hopper as anyone else. We also checked his bank account… 30 thousand Euros… all left in one account," Dupree said

"Added to the millions back in the states… this guy was loaded," George said as he drank from his water.

"Where's Travis?" Jessica asked.

Travis stepped out of the bathroom stall as he wiped the sweat from his brow… he had just placed his face where no man should ever place their face…. He closed the stall door as the toilet flushed its contents down the drain….

"Yuck," Travis said… he then noticed a pair of feet in the stall next to him… then he realized that the person in the stall must have heard and smelled the whole thing.

"Sorry buddy," Travis said as he walked over and started washing his hands. The stall door opened slowly as the man inside of it stepped out and spotted Travis washing his hands. He pulled out his toy. A glock .45. He pointed its barrel to the back of Travis's head. Travis realized what was touching his head as he looked in the mirror of the bathroom… he noticed the man holding the weapon… a grizzled old man. One he had seen before…. Then it hit him.

"Frank?" Travis said slowly.

"Don't move, agent Dalesman. I don't wanna do it," Frank said as he reached in and pulled out Travis's pistol. He pulled out Dalesman's Colt 1911 and placed it in his pocket.

"What…. What are you doing here?" Travis asked.

"Put both your hands on the mirror, Dalesman."

Travis put his hands on the mirror as he starred at Frank.

"I'm here for the same reason you are…. I'm here for Aelita," Frank said.

"Aelita? She's alive?" Travis asked.

"Yeah, but if you don't get to her soon she won't be for long. She is in good company and has been taken care of for a while… but they're closing in on her," Frank said as he whispered so only he and Travis could hear.

"Who…Who is after her?" Travis asked.

"Mal-tech… they want her and this… observer, whoever that is."

"WHO?" Travis asked as he turned around in confusion.

"Turn around..." Frank said firmly as Travis sighed and turned around. "Yeah, the same people who kidnapped her mother and helped to kill her father," Frank said.

"…Waldo is dead?"

"Yeah…. He died protecting his daughter," Frank said with remorse in his throat.

"Where is she…? If she is in danger I have to find her… the bureau…,"

"Screw your agency…. There is more at stake here than any of that. Look… I'm here to tell you two things…. One: that man out there cannot be trusted… he is with Mal-Tech…. Two: go to Kadic Academy… tell Mr. Delmas about Aelita… he will help you there even if he doesn't know it. And three... no matter what… protect her and protect her observer," Frank said.

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you nuts?" Travis asked.

"NO… you will know I'm telling the truth, because when you see me next… I'll be dead…," Frank said as he put Travis's gun back in his holster. He then put the guns magazine in the sink.

"Remember, Travis…. Save the girl… save the world," Frank said as he put his gun up and walked out of the bathroom. Travis ran out after Frank. He ran out in time to see Frank run into the kitchen. Travis ran out after him. He ran past three chefs and a dishwasher and kicked open the back door. Travis ran out into the street…. He was suddenly startled by the sound of tires screeching…. He looked in time to see a blue econo car come slamming to a halt as Travis jumped out of the way…. Travis looked around for any sign of Frank…. None, the man disappeared.

Travis walked back to the table. He noticed Dupree was gone, George and Jessica sat at the table and laughed a little from some random story George was telling. George looked up and saw Travis coming back to the table. George waved at first, but soon noticed that Travis was sweating a little and looked a little unraveled.

"Hey, man…. What's wrong with you?" George asked, garnering the attention of Jessica.

"Yeah, you look like you saw a ghost or something," Jessica added.

"Get in the car, I'll tell you then," Travis said as he walked over to the black Mustang.

"Wait, what are you doing? We got an address for Hopper's residence here," Jessica said.

"Just shut up and get in the car," Travis said as he bumped into a pedestrian. George and Jessica looked up at each other in confusion. Just what exactly was Travis talking about? Was he crazy?

Jessica stood up finally and picked up her briefcase. Following suit, George stood up and walked over to the car with Jessica. George sat in the driver's seat while Jessica sat in her usual back seat area.

"OK, man, what the hell is going on? Are you having flashbacks again or something?" George asked.

"...OK," Travis said as he breathed in deep. "I saw Frank Morse… alive and well."

George and Jessica stared at Travis… they looked at him as if he just said he wanted a bacon burrito. Alternatively, if he just admitted he liked Barbie dolls.

"Um, Travis, if you didn't wanna try the snails then don't make up a excuse," Jessica said.

"I'm not kidding guys. He was in the bathroom and pulled a gun out and held me at gun point."

"OK… any reason he did?" George asked

"He said Aelita is alive and well…. She is going to school at Kadic Academy, and her father is dead."

"How does he know?" Jessica asked. George began counting on his fingers, starting from five.

"I don't know… But do you know how in the Bureau they taught us how to tell when someone is lying?" Travis asked.

"No, I didn't take that class, Travis," George said, losing his place.

"Ok. When someone lies, they have a facial expression of some type or form when they speak it. Such as blink or smile or look away or what not…. George…. Frank looked me straight in the eye. He didn't do anything at all."

"Did he say anything else?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah…. Dupree is in on it all. Aelita is being chased by Mal-Tech. And they're after her and this… Observer person, whoever the hell that is," Travis said.

"Dupree? Wait. Morse comes out of hiding to tell you this and has no proof... How do we know he isn't in on all of this?" Jessica asked.

"I don't know. However, I think we should be cautious. This is turning more and more into a situation no one wants the world to know about. Frank also told us that we need to speak to the principal of the school. Kadic Academy. Mister Delmas," Travis said.

"I say we go with Travis on this one... Let's check this school first and then we will check this house of Hopper's. Apparently according to Dupree, Waldo owns a house in the middle of the park next to…," George said as he stuttered.

"A school," Jessica finished.

"The Hermitage," George said.

"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into…? Who the hell are we dealing with?" Travis asked.

Jeremy and Aelita walked into the lab. William, Ulrich, and Yumi were already inside listening to the iPod player Odd had bought at the same yard sale that he had gotten the cots, the mini fridge, and the golf clubs. The iPod was playing _The Rolling Stones' Jumping Jack Flash_. It was one of the songs the school had received from its American counterpart school. The Rolling Stones had become one of the school's newest favorite bands…. In addition, The gang had used the last part of the bands name Stones to give Aelita when she came to earth.

The reason Jeremy and Aelita choose the name Stones was from Aelita's time on Lyoko. Jeremy was listening to them one day and Aelita wanted to listen, she was instantly hooked on music, Whenever Jeremy was busy or sleeping, she would surf Youtube and Jeremy's iTunes account for songs. She never got into hip-hop or country. She liked techno a lot though. However, rock and roll was always a good one for her. Once she left the computer though she spent hours downloading songs off Jeremy's computer onto several CD's. A bill from iTunes that Jeremy finally paid off a few months ago.

"Hey guys" Aelita said as she led Jeremy into the lab. "What are you guys up to?"

"Just figured you could use some company today while Jeremy looked into why the RTTP program is bugged out," Odd said as he handed Jeremy and Aelita a soda.

"Also wanted to know what caused it to bug out as well. In case it's something we might need to go to Lyoko for," Yumi said as she sat on the cot. "Consider it where here just in case."

"Well, I better get started then," Jeremy said as he got onto the computer and began to type out a large series of codes and programs into the computer. After a few minutes, he came across its program. He looked it over and discovered the problem.

"This… this isn't right," Jeremy said.

"What is it?" William asked.

"The program was completely deleted. The RttP program is gone," Jeremy said.

"Why? How?" Ulrich asked.

"Well, the program is what we use to go back in time. It sends us only. But I have never found out how it worked or why it works."

"I looked through all my father's notes once. It said it was meant to contain and slow ascension," Aelita said.

"For what?" Odd asked.

"Well, at first we thought Xana. But I think it might be for something else… maybe this system thing or what not," Jeremy said. "I can't work on it here…. We got to go down to the computer and work on it," Jeremy said.

Jeremy got out of the chair as the whole gang walked over to the elevator.

"Wait! Leave your drinks here guys," Jeremy said.

"Why?" Odd asked.

"Um lets see. Heavy electircal items. A super computer the size of a car...Take your pick." Jeremy said.

"Good point." Odd said

Odd, Aelita and Willaim placed their sodas on the cot as the elevator door opened. As everyone filed in Jeremy hit the button to send the elevator down to the computer lab room. As they entered, Jeremy's face suddenly turned frantic as he noticed the computer was already open and ready.

"What? What the hell is this?" Jeremy asked as he walked over to the series of USB ports. He pulled out what looked like a small flash drive. He noticed on the screen above the flash drive: it read "_Download complete."_ Jeremy looked at it. It has a small antenna connected to it by paper clips.

"Is this a joke, guys?" Jeremy asked.

"Um, I don't know anything about that," Odd said. The others nodded their head in agreement.

"Great. One more thing to deal with… a breach."

"WHAT?" The others said at once.

"Who though?" Aelita asked.

"I'll look at that later. Right now, I need to get the RTTP program going."

Jeremy turned around and opened a second panel of buttons. He typed in the numbers 102089. A second door slid open revealing most of the computer's wiring. Jeremy pulled out a large piece of paper. It showed the schematics of the entire computer. Jeremy followed it to where the RTTP components were located…. According to the schematic, it was a large solid metal box like part of the computer.

"Ok i guess this would be the main power supply of the computer. Everything seems to route around the system but this box im guessing is like a seperate computer. It basically just sits thier with only a few small connections to it." Jeremy said as he pulled out his tool box he had tucked away behind a panel.

"So that means what for those of us who dont speak Einstien?" Odd asked.

"It means Jeremy thinks that the RTTP program may be stored in this box. Like its a seperate computer inside a computer." Aelita corrected.

Jeremy walked over towards the section where the RTTP components were held. The others walked around to see. Jeremy removed the section panel and pulled on a leaver as the large metal box slide out like most of the other components would when they need'd to be serviced or replaced. The box was smooth and polished to a mere sheen. It was so polished that the gang could see thier reflection in it.

"What is it?" Odd asked.

"A computer?" William asked.

"A storage container?" Yumi asked.

"A SAFE!" Jeremy shrieked

The others looked at the item in question. It was a safe with a combination lock on it. But there was more. It had a small crystal screen on it with several wires and cords running though the safe into the box. Its contents were not meant to be removed at all, for no reason at all. Unless someone knew the code.

"And that is a finger print scanner," Jeremy exclaimed.

"But….What the hell is it?" Odd asked.

"Maybe... it's the power source for the RTTP program?" Yumi said

"I can't do this, guys," William said. "What if that releases like an explosion or a force of nature we never dealt with? What if it causes us to cease to exist?" William asked.

"I… I don't think so," Aelita said.

"What makes you think that?" William asked.

"It says 'For Aelita' on it."

Jeremy pulled out a small flashlight on his dorm key. He flashed a light on the inside near the safe. On the left side of the case was in fact a note saying… "For Aelita."

"So…What the hell is this?" Odd asked.

"I think it's from my father. I think it's meant for me," Aelita said.

"Well try it out. Open it up." Ulrich suggested.

Aelita placed her hand on the scanner as a green light scanned up and down on her hand and pinged several times. The screen flashed the name: Aelita… Code: Lyoko.

The safe opened as air hissed out of it. Aelita backed up slowly as the others freaked out a little. A small glass table slid out from the safe. On it was a small bracket with wires and cables connected to a small crystal shard. As the table slid out more the wires and cables detached and slid back inside the safe with wicked speed. Leaving only a crystal shard the size of a pen.

William stood protecting his face. He lowered his arms as he saw that it was all finished. Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita slowly peaked out from behind William, checking to see if the coast was clear.

"It's… a diamond?" Ulrich said.

Aelita walked over and looked closely at it. She felt a sense of high pitch ping coming from the crystal. Almost like a him or hum. She reached out and touched it. She felt it touch her fingers… it felt almost like she touched water. It pinged a little as she pulled back. It suddenly began to glow and change colors. It seemed like it was glowing in a way that seemed familiar to her... Aelita suddenly realized the world had fallen silent to her. She heard and saw nothing but the crystal. She felt something deep inside stirring in her. It felt like a rise of pressure in her. It felt amazing. She never felt like this before. Suddenly she lost consciousness. She realized her feet were not on the ground. She was in the air.

The others watched in disbelief. Aelita looked as if she was in some type of trance. Suddenly She screamed loudly like a bat out of hell as Aelita rose into the air. Her eyes turned white as a white light shot out of her mouth. The others coved their eyes, the light was so bright.

A bolt of Lightning arched through her finger tips as a bolt of Pink energy flew out of her hand and snapped at the wall of the lab. The gang ducked in fear as another shot on the floor. Ulrich Grabbed Yumi and ran behind the computer. Odd and William tried to break for the elevator as another shot hit the wall. They stopped and ran back towards the computer as they hid next to Yumi.

"Whats Wrong with her?" Odd asked.

"I dont know...Jeremy do you..." Ulrich stopped as he realized Jeremy was not behind them. He looked out from behind the computer as he spotted him walking up toward the levitating Aelita.

"JEREMY!" Ulrich yelled.

Jeremy didnt look back.

"JEREMY NO GET BACK HEAR." Yumi yelled.

"No." he yelled as he walked closer to Aelita.

They watched as he walked slowly to Aelita. Her eyes flowed with tears as the light continued to pour out of her mouth and eyes. Ulrich covered Yumi in fear something was going to happen to her. Odd and William covered their eyes. The light was so bright, so white that it almost blinded them a little.

Jeremy reached out and grabbed Aelita's frail hand. She looked down at him and stared at Jeremy. Jeremy knew Aelita was in there somewhere. In some form Aelita was alive in there. He felt her.

"Aelita! Please… !" Jeremy said

"_**Jeremy Dylan Belpoise! You stand to protect this child?"**_ A voice said from Aelita's mouth. It sounded as if there were multiple people in the voice. Deep voiced people, high-pitched voices, and even children voices.

"What was that?" Odd asked as he watched from behind the computer.

"Who are you?" Jeremy asked.

"_**We are all that are past and we are all that have fallen. We are the coralation of many diffrent worlds and race's. All have used the Tear Of God to recreate and save our worlds. ...We are the Avatar's.**_

"Just let her go... let her go." Jeremy demanded as he touched her finger tips.

The others watched in horror. They were afraid of what would happen next.

"_**This child shares the same feelings. You must protect this girl at all costs. For she is the hope for not just your world. But the future of all worlds and life as well. For she holds **__**the device of god himself. The life giver, the System," **_The voice said.

"I will. I will protect her no matter what," Jeremy said.

"_**You shall be her Observer. You shall be her sword and shield. You are now connected to her… and us," **_The voice said as Aelita slowly descended from the air. She landed slowly into Jeremy's hands. Jeremy held her as the light from Aelita disappeared. Aelita fell asleep in his arms as the light diminished from her. Jeremy held her close, he did not want to let go of her for fear something might happen to her. He laid her down on the ground and looked towards the others as they came out of hiding.

Jeremy checked Aelita's pulse. It was normal. She was breathing normally.

"What… What was that?" Yumi asked as she bent down next to Aelita.

"It mentioned the System. It must have been the system that just talked to us," Ulrich said as he took off his jacket and placed it under Aelita's head.

"Observer… System. That was what we downloaded from the computer the last time," Odd said.

"Let's get her to the cot," William suggested. Ulrich walked over and took some tissue paper out from his pocket. He picked up the diamond slowly as he ran over to the elevator. Jeremy picked her up in his arms as he slowly walked over to the elevator. The elevator rose with the six kids inside it. The elevator door opened as Jeremy walked over to the cot and laid Aelita down on the small pillow. He put a thin blanket over her and sat down next to her. The gang breathed heavily as they took in what had just happened.

"Ok… can someone tell me what that was?" William asked.

"That was the System. This crystal must be part of it. It awakened and must have recognized her as this Avatar and…. I don't know," Jeremy said

"What did it mean when it said you were her Observer?" Yumi asked

"I don't know…. It might mean like a guardian or something," Jeremy said.

"Is… Aelita gonna be OK?" Odd asked.

"I…. I do not know. She is sleeping though, she is breathing too. I just...,"

Suddenly a message popped up on the computer monitor's screen. The gang jumped at the sound of the message icon. Jeremy slowly stood up and walked over to the screen. He read the message aloud.

"I see you discovered the Computer's other purpose?" Jeremy read.

"Who sent that?" Yumi asked.

Jeremy typed in "**Who is this?"** into the message screen.

After a few minutes, another message popped onscreen. "I am the first. I am your guide now."

"**Ok but who are you?" **Jeremy typed in and sent. After a few minutes, another message popped on.

"**1 sec"**

A video screen suddenly popped on screen. It showed a young boy with pale skin and purple Hair, he wore a large blue stocking cape with a purple scarf wrapped around his shoulders, around his waist was a pink sash and small blue fee.

"Hiya .Humans." the kid said.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Odd exclaimed.

" Oh your surpised! This coming from a kid who's hair is shapped like a accorn? Sigh...I guess He was wrong when he caculated that the goverment would find the lab first...but then again he usually was." The figure said.

"Ok, wait, who are you?" Yumi said firmly.

"Who is this? Xervix? Or Xana?" Jeremy demanded with a stern voice.

"None... im kinda the first... surely my little Sister Aelia's friend knows me." The boy said.

Jeremy starred from a minute trying to focus on who this kid was...Suddenly it snapped on him.

"No...Mister Puck?" Jeremy said slowly.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 30. Who am I

The entire area as far as the eye could see was black and dismal. There was no noise, no light, nothing at all. It was almost as if the world had ended and this was all that was left. Black and hollow darkness.

Aelita slowly sat up off the floor as she grunted from the hard surface causing resistance and pain on her backbone. She breathed heavily as she gained her footing and balance. Where was she? On Lyoko? On Earth? Or was she dead? She waved her hand over her face to see if she could see it, nothing. She slowly walked forward as panic slowly drifted into her mind. All she could remember was opening the supercomputer and finding the box inside with the Crystal... after that she couldn't remember anything at all. Just waking up in this darkness. A world of Darkness, a world of coldness, a world of death.

Hello? She cried out as she began to walk forward.

Odd? Ulrich? William? She cried as the panic in her heart began to race more and more. She held her hands out in front of her as she began to run and panic.

Yumi? She cried as she heard not even a echo. Fear was beginning to rise in her.

JEREMY! she screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell to her knees into a heap of stress and tears.

No...No...I'm...I'm... She began to shudder as she was slowly accepting the truth. She curled up into a little ball and began to sob as she began to accept that fact that she was dead... This was it.. this was her ultimate fate. She cried in her hands as she wanted so bad to go back home to see her friends... to see him.

Aelita then noticed something. She could see her hands a little... she could see them more and more as a light appeared in front of her. She looked up to see a string of light right in front of her. She wiped the tears from her face as she approached it slowly. She reached out to touch it and felt warmth...light...Life.

Suddenly the light almost seemed to grow as it encircled and absorbed Aelita. She felt her body warming up as she was blinded by the light in front of her. As it dissipated she opened her eyes, her vision was incredibly blurry from light s intensity. As her vision slowly returned she realized she was standing in a room. A white room with a crackling warm fireplace, a large comfy looking sofa, and a large piano in the far corner.

Why does this look so familiar? Aelita thought. She walked over to the piano and played a small note as her fingers slid and touched the ivory keys. She looked around some more and saw there was a flight of stairs which seemed to lead upstairs. Aelita hesitated for a second. Last time she was in a place like this she was almost killed by Xana. When Xana made a complete replica of

Wait. Aelita said to herself out loud.. This is...This is...

Home, a voice said from behind her. Aelita slowly turned her head to see a tall old looking man with a large gray beard and a pair of thick goggle-like tinted eyeglasses. He wore a long white lab coat with a orange sweater underneath it. He had a face that haunted Aelita to this day.

Dad? Aelita said with a slight rasp in her voice. Dad, is it really you?

Yes honey, this is not a trick no more... this is not a dream... I'm finally here for you, Waldo said as he slowly made his way to his daughter. Aelita backed up just a little bit, still not convinced this was legit.

Where am I? Lyoko? Aelita asked.

No...we are inside the realm that is your mind. This is the world your mind has created, this is your paradise...your heaven, Waldo said.

A cold chill ran down Aelita's back at those words. Aas she...is she?

Am I ? she studdered.

Haaahahaha. No, my little princess...you re safe in the lab with your friends and Jeremy, Waldo said as he walked over to the chair next to the fireplace.

Then what is all this? Are you alive or what? Aelita said in a tone of anger.

...no. I am dead. But through the System I was able to leave my thoughts and personality to tell you what the System is... and what you are and the great golden age you will bring to this planet, Waldo said as he used a metal prod to poke and stir the fire.

So you re like a...message? Aelita asked as she slowly made her way over to the sofa.

Yes...sadly, Waldo said with a tone of despair in his voice.

What is the System? What is all of this about..? Aelita asked as she sat on the sofa.

At the beginning of time God created the universe. And at the center of the universe where the Lord focused all his energy created a tear a small droplet of his remaining energy which he sent to many parts of the universe to help spread life and create worlds. The System... at least that is how the prophecy goes, Waldo said as he sat up and walked over to the window.

So is it a source of energy? Aelita asked.

THE Source of Energy. I'm sure you may have noticed several... circumstances with you as you have been maturing, Waldo said. It can embody its energy into any form of life. Giving them wonderful powers... tremendous powers... or terrible powers.

What do you mean? Aelita asked.

Through out time wherever it has fallen it has brought both a blessing... and a curse. It has caused conflict... war... extinction... Armageddon.

Aelita leaned forward as she listened to her father.

The System is not an alien artifact or a object from the heavens. Every world that exists has one. Every world has a System, the Avatar and the Observer. The System can reenergize a world and turn it into a utopia... or it can destroy the world as it did several million years ago during the Permian era. When earth was just new, Waldo explained as he turned to face his daughter. There was a race on here long before man... a highly intelligent race. Years beyond mankind's.

The room suddenly shifted and showed a large lush and tropical jungle. The sky was blanketed and concealed by large trees the size of skyscrapers. The trees looked like nothing Aelita had ever seen before. They weren't one massive trunk, but multiple trunks and large twisted roots intertwined to form a massive and awe inspiring sight. Aelita could smell the air. It was a odour she had never smelled before. The smell of fresh rain water or clean, crisp air. It smelled as if a fresh storm had ran though. The ground she stood on was covered in grass and shrubs. Plants she had seen in museums and plants that looked almost alien. There was a bush covered in green and blue apple like fruit and had a large flower like bulb on top of it. She saw what looked like a rose with dagger like teeth in it. It moved slowly as it followed a large dragonfly like insect. Its mouth suddenly shot out and bit into the dragonfly as it buzzed and flapped in panic. The rose like fly trap drew the dragonfly inside the plant. It seemed to almost swallow the large bug as if it was a living animal. Aelita glanced out into the distance and saw a large swamp filled with all sorts of reptiles and amphibians. It was like a scene from Jurassic Park. There were large gator like reptiles and pig looking amphibians, and even creatures which resembled tiny dinosaurs. Aelita watched as a large dragonfly flew up to her and hovered over her head. She reached out to touch the giant insect as its head swiveled and buzzed. Before she could touch it, it flew away.

Is this real? Aelita asked in astonishment.

Sadly no. This is a recording of a past utopia. This world to you is a prehistoric jungle. But in the areas above it lies an early paradise, Waldo said as he pointed out to the top of the tree.

There at the very top sat a large structure. It was a glass like building, circular and round in shape and as smooth and glossy as glass. It looked as if it was connected to the tree, almost like it was created with the tree. The glass was like a diamond material which gleamed with the light of the sun bouncing off it into Aelita's direction. It was colorful and beautiful.

Suddenly Aelita felt her feet leave the ground. She glanced down and looked towards the ground, she saw that her toes where barely touching the ground. She soon looked up and saw that she was gaining speed and approaching the tree line. After a few minutes of flying straight up she came up to eye level with the building. She could see the amount of details in the structure. It was not made of diamond or some glass like material. It was made of some kind of liquid... almost like water. It also seemed to grow out of the top the tree. It looked like a large flower was holding the building in place. The flower was green with yellow and blue strips and spots all over its stalk and leaves. The building was stationed on the stalk of the flower and also seemed to be feeding it nutrients, inside the flower was water and small fish like animals swimming about the flower s interior.

This civilization was based upon the manipulation and co-existence with nature. They lived with the Earth rather than on it, Waldo explained as he pointed behind Aelita.

At first she saw tens... then hundreds... thousands...and millions. The whole planet was one mega city. She saw all types of buildings in all types of shapes and sizes. Some were like skyscrapers, others went higher into the stratosphere.

Aelita heard a random gurgling noise coming from behind her. She quickly spun around and saw the source of the noise. At first it sounded like the noise of some one gurgling water. Then it made a second sound, one which sounded intensely alien and yet so beautiful. She watched as a small opening appeared in the side of the water building and a purple glowing sting ray emerged. It looked like a manta ray, only it had a human shape to it. It had a small head with only one small white glowing eye. On its head there was a singular antenna that changed colors and seemed to glow.

Its skin was bony and rigid, instead of looking firm and solid, the creature looked like it was liquid based and fragile. It had with it a pair of small hands that it kept up close to its chest with 2 fingers on each hand, forming a type of prong hand. Green lights shot though its wings as it flapped in midair. Its wings also seemed to have a butterfly like effect on it. Almost looking like a butterfly like fish. It looked beautiful.

Aelita couldn't take her eyes off it for a second as it floated in front of her. It almost looked as if it was staring at her. She smiled a little as the creature stared right at her.

Can it see me? she asked out loud. The creature suddenly fully opened its wings, revealing the majestic beauty it carried. The colors in its wings flashed and glowed brightly as it made another cooing noise. The creature flew off as its noise seemed to almost echo in Aelita's ears. A noise she would love to hear again.

This civilization came into power on the planet millions of years ago, long before man and the dinosaurs. These sky fish lived in perfect harmony with the earth even learning how to control the weather and the planet s temperature through the power of the System. This, however, lead to its downfall, Waldo continued as Aelita heard the sound of thunder off in the distance. She turned to see a massive thunderstorm heading right towards them. Only this storm looked different. It had a few small shades of red in it. It looked as if it was really a giant fireball hidden in the clouds and it was heading straight at them. The sky fish began to panic and flee into their homes or flew under the tree line as the rain suddenly began to fall from the sky. Aelita saw that the rain was not the cool fresh water she knew in Amines. It was molten rock and hot acidic water.

The greed of using the System caused this civilization's government to hold their people hostage in exchange for services and profits. Luckily the people of this world managed to topple the corrupt government and free themselves but the damage has already been done. The system for this planet has been destroyed.

Suddenly bolts of lightning and balls of fire rained down upon the civilization. The buildings began to evaporate and explode as the sky fish fled in multiple directions. Aelita could hear the noise of the sky fish in pain... such horrid pain. She could feel every burn, every death. She felt it all.

Stop it...Please... I have seen enough, Aelita cried as she covered her eyes. Then she saw it, the sky fish from earlier. It was on fire and crying in pain... it hurt and shook Aelita straight to her soul.

STOP! she screamed as she tried to protect the sky fish. But it soon disappeared, replaced by their home once again.

Aelita shook from the thought of what she saw. She had just witnessed the extinction of an entire species.

The System's destruction would lead to the greatest extinction this planet had ever seen. Waldo said.

Wait...if the System was destroyed, then why is there one now? Aelita asked.

It was sent here by another world... A type of parallel dimension. Once the System in this world was destroyed, it arrived in another dimension to bless and create that world. But soon like the curse and trials of the System, it lead to a war of their own... So they sent it here, to your world... Waldo explained as the room changed again. Let me show you something else. It happened during my stay on Alaska in 1973.

Aelita found herself in a cathedral. It was a small grey and white cathedral with a few small roses in the lyles next to the pews. Aelita saw a small reception at the end of the room. She slowly walked towards it when she noticed Waldo was not with her. She looked around hesitantly and called his name. At the altar she saw him standing next to a tall muscular man who was wearing a tux, staring at who she assumed was the bride.  
It was a wedding but whose? And why couldn't anyone notice her? Then Aelita noticed the man looked familiar. He had a small stripe of purple in his hair. Then it hit her.

Mister Della Robbia? Aelita asked.

I now pronounce you husband and wife, Mister and Mrs Della Robbia. You may kiss the bride the priest announced.

Edward leaned over and kissed Lisa on the lips as their friends around them applauded and clapped loudly at the joy of the newly weds. Waldo and Damon both sat to Edwards left as the newly weds walked down the isle.

Now that's a cute couple, Waldo said as Damon walked down the isle to the reception.

That are Odd's parents. They knew my father, Aelita said out loud.  
But then where is my mother? she thought.

Guess that means its just you and me right now? Damon said with his usually southern accent.

The reception was filled with most of scientists and military individuals in the base. There was mostly pre made food that was kept in storage for the scientists at the base; it was still a good ceremony for a wedding that was closed in and isolated from the world.

And now the bride and groom I believe have something to say, one of the groomsmen said. Edward stood up and took the microphone from the groomsman as he removed his jacket and laid it on his chair.

Uh well first off I wanna thank everyone here for coming out and making tonight a great and wonderful experience. Second I have a serious announcement to make, Edward said as he took a drink from his wine.

A year ago as you know we had a serious issue with the object we are studying and my wife... leading to her incredible, colorful, and wonderful hair style. But I almost lost her to that incident. Which lead me to this decision today. I am 25 and a colonel in the French Army, quite a feat for someone my age... But soon we will be starting a family and I want to be there to see them grow up. I want to see them, and hold them with my wife, and I want nothing more then to give them the life I didn't have... therefore effective immediately I hereby resign from my post as a colonel of the French Army, Edward said as his wife took his hand. The announcement caused a lot of murmuring and talk in the parlor as to which people where both shocked and stunned at the announcement.

Even though my lovely wife argues that I should remain in the military, I have decided that I can not risk it in any shape or form. My wife and I have agreed to retire from this Vorseas Project effective immediately after this ceremony. As a way to start our honeymoon in Italy. But as we leave tonight, always remember that we could not of gotten to this point without the support of all of you and our friends, Waldo, Dr. Vance, Damon.. .and his dam bird Barney, Edward joked.

He's still better then you partner, Damon joked back.

Honestly... from both of us to you... you guys are our family away from our family. Thank you everyone, Edward said as he raised his glass.

_  
Emilio stood at the command post with the rest of his crew. Most of the soldiers that had been assigned to guard the base were on leave to the local town, only 5 or so remained to guard the scientist. It was the perfect time to gain control of the project and hide what they were after properly... or was it?

A man with white hair and a nice black suit walked inside the room and stood behind Emilio.

Report Jerald? Emilio demanded.

From what the scientist deciphered from the symbols and texts on the crystal, what we want is what is exposed on the surface. The energy source is a perfect instrument to be used in our Project Carthage, Jerald said.

Are the engineers removing the object from the crystal? Emilio asked.

Yes. As for the second smaller crystal we believe its nothing, just a minor object... possible records or so, Jerald said.

Remove the System then, Emilio said.

In the main bay, where the majority of the work was being conducted, several engineers and construction workers who had been working diligently for months on excavating and removing the object from under the sea were now busy chiseling away the loose rock and strata from the newly recovered crystalline like prism. They where concentrating on one small area in question, a structure built into the prism that seemed to look similar to a shutter of a camera or something along those lines. It had 3 similar shapes on its sides. One was a triangle with what looked like a eye in the middle, the second was a circle with a eye in it and 3 lines on its bottom, and the final was a square with a large x in its box. The scientist hypothesized that this was some form of hieroglyph or ancient text from a lost civilization.

Estrada and his escorts entered the room and look towards their possession. He fixed his tie and walked towards the work site as 2 of his workers approached him. They where wearing hard hats and blue and orange jumpsuits. Around their waists was a large pouch with a series of tools and instruments.

Report, Estrada demanded.

We have removed a large amount of the crystal blocking the entrance to the main chamber. We were about to open the entrance when we heard you were on your way down sir, the worker closest to him said as he walked up the main board walk to the crystal.

Do it, Estrada said.

The main worker walked over and grabbed a large pry bar laying on top of a tool box. He walked over and felt around the crystal seem. He felt a small little crack that separated the different parts of the door. He placed the pry bar on top the crevice and held it in place as another worker smacked the edge of the pry bar with a large metal hammer. After a few hits the pry bar finally separated the doors. Three workers got behind the pry bar and helped force it open as the door slowly slid open. Inside was a small round corridor. The walls of the corridor were a shine of blue and gray, the surface was almost glass like and seemed to be made of some type of mineral like substance. One of the workers flashed a light inside the tunnel. Only for the entire tunnel to light up as if there where high powered lights in the walls and floor.

Estrada stepped inside the corridor as Jerome and 2 other workers followed inside. All 4 where speechless in what they saw and noticed. Inside there where the same symbols and shapes that where on the outside of the structure. Emilio continued inside it until he came upon a altar. It was a reddish blue color that had small slivers of green inside it. On the top part of the altar was a flat surface which held on top of it a round crystal looking object.

At last, Estrada said as he reached out and touched the glowing crystal orb.

Mister Estrada, no! It could be dangerous, a worker said.

Estrada didn't listen, he picked up the orb with both of his hands as the color on the crystal dimmed.

At last all that hard work, all that searching and it was right under our nose, Estrada said. Now all we need is the Avatar and we will have the ultimate weapon, Estrada whispered to himself.

Jerome walked up with a metal brief case as Estrada wrapped the orb in a white cloth. The System is ours, Estrada said as he placed the orb into the box. I'm flying out with it... you know what to do. Jerome nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver device.

Estrada walked over with his suitcase and boarded the golf kart. Everything was ready... everything. _

Aelita looked around the wedding. She was enjoying the sights and sounds. Although she remained a ghost, she was learning a lot from what was happening. Her father looked so young and healthy as opposed to how she knew him years later. He had traces of white hair instead of the grey hair he had when she remembered. He looked and acted younger and more naive... similar to her. All right, everyone. I need every single female in the audience to step forward as we prepare to toss the bouquet, The DJ said as most of the female scientist stood up and walked forward onto the floor.

Hey Wally...get up there man, Damon said jokingly.

Shush up, Waldo said as he chuckled from the joke. Waldo stood up as he checked the time on his watch.

Where are you going? Damon asked.

I gotta get some fresh air. Waldo said as he suddenly felt something hit him in the head. He looked at the floor as he noticed a large bundle of flowers on the floor. He picked it up only to hear several women scream at him. Then he realized what he had done.

WALLY! YOU CAN T GRAB THAT! one female said.

I guess we know what that means, Damon joked.

Aelita heard some strange noises behind her as she saw Waldo step out onto the balcony of the room. She saw Odd's father follow him out. She decided to follow them.

Wonderful ceremony man, Waldo said as he patted Edward on the shoulder.

Thanks, Edward said as he gazed out at the frozen Arctic Ocean. Here in a little bit Lisa and I are gonna fly out and enjoy our honeymoon in Italy. We won t be coming back, Waldo, but I wanted to let you know... if you ever need any help in any way shape or form, let me know, Edward said as he handed Waldo a business card with his name on it.

Rumor is Lisa might already be pregnant... any truth to that rumor? Waldo asked.

Edward nodded.

Don't tell Damon though...He thinks its odd enough. Edward said.

You should name your kid that, Waldo joked.

Actually I like that name. A voice said from behind them. They both turned around to see Lisa walking towards them. Odd .Della Robbia... its got a nice ring to it.

You ready dear? Edward asked as he kissed her on the lips. She nodded in agreement.  
They hugged Waldo and bid him farewell as they walked out and informed the party they were leaving. After several long goodbyes and farewells they walked back to their rooms and gathered their luggage. Edward walked into his room and changed his clothes and grabbed his suitcases. He laid them on the bed as he heard the door behind him open up.

Can t believe I m gonna miss you, partner, a voice said from behind.

I'll miss you too, Damon, Edward replied.

If you re ever in the great state of Texas... let me know, Damon said.

I will pal. I will. Edward said as he hugged Demon. Sure they had some problems and issues in the past but they were still close friends. Even if they had issues with each other s views on the parrot Barney.

Edward walked over and petted Barney on the head as Barney squawked a little.

I miss you, Barney said, repeating a line Lisa said when Edward talked about leaving.

A few minutes later, Edward and Lisa where leaving the base and on their way to the local airport to begin their life anew. On their way to the airport Lisa leaned her head on Edward s shoulder.

I'm gonna miss them. Lisa said.

I got a feeling we will be seeing them again dear... we will, Edward said as he wrapped his arm around her.

_  
The large helicopter landed on the helipad as 7 men armed with sub machine guns transported a large metal box on wheels to it. Behind the men Estrada approached with a small radio like box in his hands.

Estrada watched as the men loaded the chopper with the box before getting in themselves.

Has all the preparations been made? Estrada asked.

Yes, sir. The bombs are in place and teams are standing by to evacuate the people at the wedding party. Jerome said.

As for the scientist and the laborers in the main bay... liquidate them, Estrada said as he lit a large cigar and shut the door. The helicopter then proceeded to take off, leaving Jerome on the helipad. Jerome reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a large radio.

All units... Code tan.

In the main bay the laborers were preparing to pack up their tools and return to their rooms. No sooner then the chief technician had packed up his tools when the main bay doors opened and several of the scientist were rushed in by armed guards in black. The scientist were screaming in fear as the guards aimed their weapons at them.

What the hell is going on? One of the technicians was surprised.

Chris walked in and stood behind the gun men, wearing his sun glasses and smoking a cigarette.

Ladies and gentlemen... thank you for your loyal service. Now die as the pigs you are, Chris said smugly.

The gun men then aimed and opened fire as flashes from their weapons flared wildly.

Main floor sanitized... moving on to phase two.

Jerome walked into the wedding reception and informed everyone of a minor gas leak in the main hall and was ordering a immediate evacuation. People began to panic as they fled to the nearest heliport. There, 7 large helicopters sat ready to received the evacuees. Jerome watched as the last person from the party fled onto the heliport and made her way into that chopper.

Not counting the Della Robbias who left...were short 2... doesn't matter... the bombs will take care of the rest, Jerome told the lead security officer as he boarded the final chopper.  
_

Aelita saw Damon and Waldo were walking back to the party when they noticed how quiet the main hall to the labs were. They looked inside and didn't notice a thing.  
Must of all quit for the night, Damon thought as Waldo walked in front of him.

So just you and me now bud? Damon asked

Looks like it, Waldo said as he checked the time on his watch. The party should be getting over soon... Wanna just head back? Waldo asked.

Yeah, I m tired anyways... thank God tomorrow is a day off huh? Damon asked.

Yeah, I m tired of running 80 hours on only 20 hours of sleep.

Waldo turned to head back to the room when he noticed how dark the main hall was. It was almost pitch black. Waldo knew that the main hall was always lit up all the time for security reasons... yet he didn't think anything of it until he saw something. It looked like a person laying on the floor. They were wearing a lab coat and laying on their face. Waldo waited for the person to move, but they didn't.

Hey Damon...you see that? Waldo asked.

Damon looked down to where Waldo was pointing and noticed what Waldo was pointing at.

Looks like someone fell asleep down there. Damon said as he peered through the glass. That was when Damon noticed the other people on the main floor laying on the ground in various positions. Damon started to look around for any sign of movement. He saw none.

Lets head down there and see what is going on Wally, Damon said as he lead the way down the main cat walk and into the bay. Their was a eerie silence in the bay... it was so quiet you could heard a pin drop on a pin. The air was stagnant and warm. It smelled as if fireworks had gone off in the room, there was also a strange smell. A smell that was almost like rotten cabbage or cheese... it was enough to cause Waldo to gag a little. Daemon could see some form of liquid on the floor. It didn't seem like it was water, but more or less some type of red fluid. Waldo looked around for a light switch. He found the main control panel and turned on the large red lever to illuminate the bay. What he found to his sight was a large amount of dead bodies lying around in a almost straight line. The sight of it almost made Waldo throw up. He had never seen a dead body before.

What? Damon said in disbelief. What happened here?

They weren't just killed... it looks like they where executed, Waldo murmured.

_  
The helicopter was already 15 miles out over the sea and approaching a large ship with a flight deck on the back of it. Inside the chopper Estrada stared at the large box the security guards had placed inside the back of the copter. He pulled out a large cigar out of his coat pocket and lit it up. He drew in one large puff into his lungs and exhaled as he reached for the device.

With this... it all starts with this. A jewel containing the ultimate power of the universe... I will rewrite the world and bring forth a golden age for man... no more governments... no more war... only a business... a business about running the world. Lets see that fool Razor top this! Estrada laughed.

Sir, all teams are out the facility is evacuated, one of the guards said.

Perfect... time to begin changing the world, Estrada said as he pulled the trigger on the remote.  
_

Waldo looked around for any signs of life in the lab. He bent over many of the numerous bodies and checked their pulse, only to be met with the same result every time. Dead.

We gotta go, man... we gotta get some help, Damon said.

Waldo agreed but he didn't want to leave all these poor people behind. He walked to the other end of the room and looked around for any clue to what had happened. He looked around near the back end of the main fuel tanks which held the fuel for most of the vehicles used inside the base and the D.. He then noticed a small faint beeping noise. He glanced around towards the back end and discovered what it was, what he saw froze his skin and his soul down to the core.

Damon... it s a bomb.

WHAT! Damon shouted.

There s C4 all over the fuel tank in the back... it s set to blow any minute now! Waldo said in a panic.

I'm gonna go grab Barney and we need to get the living hell out of here! Damon said as he ran towards the living quarters.  
Waldo ran behind him when he heard a slight pinging noise. He turned in time to see a fireball engulf the entire room. Waldo saw the fireball spread to the other gas tanks before he saw it.  
He ran and jumped into the nearby room which held the smaller crystal and shut the door. He heard several loud explosions before he felt the room around him shift and shake. He saw the floor itself begin to droop in as it suddenly sank into a large hole directly under the crystal. Waldo saw the hole get bigger as he grabbed onto the desk to try and keep himself from falling in. the desk began to slide towards the hole as Waldo tried to claw his way up the now vertical floor. He managed to grab an extension cord that was attached to the wall. He watched the crystal fall into the hole and disappear in a mist of melting snow. Waldo felt the cord shake and give in as it came undone from the wall. Waldo then felt himself falling down the hole as he saw the walls of the building disappear, replaced by walls of snow and ice.

The world around him was blurry and quiet as Waldo finally came to. He could barely hear anything around him, all he could see was 2 inches in front of him as his vision finally came back slowly. He could smell the fresh fires burning away at the building above him. He could hear the fire raging as he attempted to sit up. Intense pain ran though his body as he planted himself up next to the desk were he had attempted to grasp onto only moments ago. He glanced around the snowy cavern as he noticed the crystal sitting in the corner and more debris from the building. He glanced up and saw how deep the hole really was. There was no chance of climbing out of it... not in his condition. It was hopeless.

So... this is my grave, Waldo said as he closed his eyes.  
He then noticed a very dull light from the crystal. He opened his eyes to see the light getting brighter. It got so bright he could hardly look at it. He covered his eyes as they began to burn from the intensity of the crystal's light. He began to breathe heavily as his vision was now a bright blur. Then he noticed a slender figure walking towards him. It approached him slowly and carefully. Waldo couldn't make out any details. He could only see the shape in the light. Then he noticed it had long flowing hair. It got closer until he could make out that it was a woman, and he could barely see a face. She wore a purple one piece suit which seemed to be made of some type of metal like material. Her hair flowed in the wind caused by the fire. He then noticed it was pink... bright pink. It got closer and knelt down next to him. He could now see her face she was beautiful... A soft smile graced her face as she put her hand on his shoulder.

Are you...an angel? Waldo asked.

No... I'm not... but are you harmed, the woman replied.

A little...but who are you? Waldo asked.

Aelita watched the whole thing as she saw the figure emerge from the crystal. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered that face and that voice, one that had haunted her in her dreams for years.. Her heart raced as she let the words slip from her lips.

Mom Aelita said.

My name is Antea. I am the Avatar of the System.

The... System? Waldo asked in disbelief.

Yes... I have come from a world at war thanks to the sacrifice of my parents to help this world into paradise...but where may I ask am I? And may I ask your name?

Wal- Wald-Waldo Schaffer, Waldo said still amazed at what he was seeing.

Are you My Obsever, Waldo Schaffer? Antea asked as she tilted her head to the left. Where are we Waldo Schaffer?

Uh... no, just Waldo . we re in a hole caused by a explosion Waldo said, forgetting the events which lead them down here.

Then we shall leave this hole and retrieve the system... we have much work to do, my Obsever Antea said as she helped him up.

Before Waldo knew it, they were out of the hole and standing in the entrance of the building.

Wait... how? Where ? Waldo said in confusion.

It is called Sight Deportation. I moved us out of that hole and here on solid land... but I can not do that again, I regret to inform you that I used the last of the powers the System granted me to leave the hole, I must find the System so I can reenergize. Where is it? Antea asked as the snow began to fall slowly from the sky.

I think it was lost in the fire, Waldo said as he glanced at the newly destroyed Science wing.  
No... The System can not be destroyed... I can sense it but it s far away and moving farther, Antea said as she looked towards the west. I must find it.

WALDO! a voice rang out from the distance. Waldo turned to see Damon and his parrot Barney running towards him. He wore a leather coat and had Barney in his cage.

Damon! Waldo said as Antea began to walk to the west. Wait, where are you going?

I must find the System...who is this? Friend? Antea asked.

Who the hell is this? Damon asked.

Squawk...Pretty lady Barney squawked.

Oh what a beautiful animal. Antea said as she peeked down at it.

You re not gonna believe it Damon... but she came out of the smaller crystal you recovered at the bottom of the ocean.

WHAT? You hit your head hard or something mate? Daemon asked.

No but we should leave, Waldo said as he lead the trio over to the garage. Damon opened it to find the snow mobiles untouched from the blast. He glanced over at the fuel tank next to the shed to find a similar device that had destroyed the base. But it was not blinking, in fact it looked as if it was frozen.

Let s hurry before that thing goes off, Daemon said as he started his snowmobile. He placed Barney in front of him as Waldo sat on another. He glanced over to see Antea staring with a little concern on her face.

What s wrong? Waldo asked.

Is this contraption safe? Antea asked.

Trust me this machine is safe and sound... you can trust me.

Aneta slowly sat on the back of the snowmobile and held on to the rails.

Wrap your arms around me. Waldo said.

Antea slowly wrapped her arms around his waste as the snowmobiles left the shack and drove off into the snowy night, soon to disappear from sight of the base.

So...that's how it happened, Aelita said when the room with the fireplace showed up around her again.

That is how I met your mother, a voice said from behind her. She turned fast to see the face of her father she knew all to well.

My mother is the Avatar... it s passed down genetically? Aelita asked. Waldo nodded.

Eventually I forged papers for your mother... and then we were married and you were born... you where the best thing to ever happen to me and your mother. She called you her little elven princess, Waldo said as he revealed one final scene for her.

Aelita glanced around at yet another snow covered area, only this time there were trees and bushes around her. She then noticed a small wooden cottage up on the hill. Smoke rose from the chimney as she walked towards it. She had seen this house before but she couldn't place it... then she remembered.

This is... my home, Aelita said as she began to run faster towards the cottage. As she approached she heard the faint sound of a young child laughing. She walked around the backside of the house as she saw a small 4 year old girl with pink hair wearing a thick coat and playing in the snow. She sung a faint song as she rolled up a snowball with her hands.

It s me! Aelita smiled at the sight of herself. Her younger self had the same short hairstyle as she had now. She had rosy cheeks and purple ear muffs over her ears. She smiled as she rolled up a large snowball and set it up right.

Aelita then heard a door open as she saw her mother and father walk outside the house. They held each others hands as they looked out towards their young daughter who was rolling a second snowball.

Are you sure you gotta go dear? Can t that stupid computer wait? Antea asked.

I know hun... I don't wanna go, but if we re gonna fight Mal-Tech, we need to fight fire with fire, Waldo said. I won t be gone too long.

Look at her, Antea said. So innocent... so happy. We should have another, Antea said as she hugged Waldo.

I'm ready... and I think Aelita is too, Waldo said. She doesn t have many friends around here.

When she goes to school next year, she will, Antea said.

You know I don't wanna send her If Mal-Tech found her...

They want me... they wont want Aelita till she hits maturity.

I cant loose you... or her. Waldo said as he kissed his wife goodbye.

Hey honey, bring back some cookies. I m sure Aelita would want some, Antea smiled.

YAY COOKIES! Mister Puck and I love cookies, Aelita said.

I ll be back dear, Waldo said.

Aelita and Antea waved goodbye to him as he pulled out of the drive way and drove off. Antea watched as her husband drove down the long gravel drive way and left drove onto the main road and slowly made his way into town.

Mommy! Come build a snowman with me, Aelita chirped.

OK sweetie, but not too long, it s about time for you to go in. It s gonna get dark soon, Antea said as she walked over to her beloved daughter.

A few moments later a fully fledged snow man stood in the drive yard. Complete with hat, arms, scarf, and a face.

You think he will come to life like frosty mommy? Aelita asked.

He might dear, if you believe he may just come to life, Antea said.

I hope so mommy... I hope he can be my friend like Mister Puck and Daddy's Friend, Aelita said.

Daddy's friend? Antea asked.

Yeah, the one in the big box down in the basement, Aelita said as she threw some snow in the air.

Well you never know Aelita... anything is possible, Antea said as she stood up.

Your friend? Aelita asked, confused.  
You must have found out about the A.I. I had developed to help run our computer in the basement, I guess, Waldo answered warmly. For a child of your age, you understood quite a lot.

LOOK MOMMY A BUNNY! Aelita said as she pointed to a small grey and white hair sitting in the yard looking at them.

Ah you re right... He is looking at us, Antea said. The rabbit hopped up closer to the women as it sniffed the air around it, it hopped up and looked straight at Aelita. The timid little pink hair girl slowly bent down to pet it, at first the rabbit jumped back a little. But after a little coaxing from the young child the rabbit finally moved in and began to sniff her hand. Soon it rubbed its head around her hand as Aelita giggled with excitement.

Can we keep it mommy? Aelita asked.

We can t dear... He needs to go back to his family soon. But I m sure he will be back, Antea said as the rabbit suddenly ran off fast. At the same time Antea heard a car door slam, she glanced up expecting to see Waldo back so soon... instead she was greeted by a black sedan with 5 men dressed in black.

Oh no... oh God no! Antea thought out loud. She grabbed Aelita and ran inside the house. She glanced back to see the 5 men already close upon her. She slammed the door inside the house fast and locked it as one of the men banged loudly against the door.

Mommy, I m scared, Aelita cried.

Go hide Aelita...were we always practiced... go baby, Antea said. Aelita ran up and hugged her mother and cried silently.

I love you mommy.

I love you my little elven princess...now go...GO! Antea shouted as Aelita ran to the living room. She grabbed Mister Puck who was sitting on the sofa and pulled back the carpet. She then lifted up the wooden door on the floor and sat inside it. Shutting the door, she then reached through the wooden great and tugged the carpet so it was over the door. Antea ran in after locking the door and fixed the carpet so that it looked as if it was untouched. Antea turned in time to hear the door shatter and the 5 men stepped in.

You assholes just picked the wrong mother to mess with, Antea said as she took up a defensive position. On of the men walked forward and stepped in front of the group.

YOU! YOU TOLD THEM? Antea shouted.

I'm sorry...they were gonna kill Samantha, the man said.

YOU BASTARD! Antea screamed as she kicked the man square in the chest, sending him backwards. Another man walked forward and attempted to subdue Antea. Antea met him with a palm to the face, breaking his nose. She then punched him square in the stomach and sent the man flying on to the floor. Antea grabbed a small table light on and swung it at another one of the agents, she hit him square across the face and flipped him over the couch. Antea then scissor kicked the agent whose nose she broke, flattening him on the ground. Antea then felt a pair of arms around her shoulders. She jutted her head back, hitting the man in the mouth, breaking several teeth. She then kicked the agent in the nuts and kicked him again in the face. Antea grunted as she stomped on the mans face.

Suddenly Antea turned to see a needle in her side. She pulled it out in time to suddenly feel groggy and faint. Her feet felt as if they had just been removed as she fell to the ground, paralyzed.

Get up you idiots, find the girl! one ordered.

Right away, Mister Chris, one agent said.

Antea? Miss Schaffer...or is it Hopper Chris said. Where is our I mean, your daughter?

Kiss...my ass, Antea murmured. Chris kicked her hard in the stomach.

Very well... take her, Chris said. And you...you better find the girl.

Aelita opened the door to the small hiding spot as she peeked her head out and looked around. She heard the car outside start up as she poked her head outside. In the car she saw her mother looking back at the house. The car then sped off fast as Aelita attempted to chase after her.

Mommy! Aelita shouted as she tried to follow, but the car was too fast.  
MOMMY! Aelita shouted. She tried to run as fast as her little legs could let her. Tears streaming down her cheek and fear in her heart.

Antea glanced in the rear window as she watched her daughter... her pride and joy running as fast as possible. Tears streamed down Antea's cheeks as her daughter became nothing more but a spec in the distance.

Aelita finally stopped. She fell in the snow crying as she realized mommy was gone.

Night had fallen on the woods, the cold frigid air grew colder as the temperature continued to drop. A owl screeched in the distance as a small cold little girl walked through the cold snow.

She was tired, she was hungry. And she wanted her mommy.

Who was those bad men who kidnapped mommy... and why had they taken her? she wondered. And would she see mommy again?

She could still see the fear in Mommy's face as the car drove off. Every time she thought of that moment she cried more and more. The realization finally hit her innocent mind.

Mommy was gone and she was not coming back.

Suddenly Aelita heard a noise behind her... she turned and saw a large grey and black wolf close behind her. It was twice as big as her and kept starring at the poor child. Aelita at first thought it was friendly. She slowly approached it only to be met with a loud growl and a row of snarling teeth. Aelita turned and ran as the wolf howled as it gave chase. Aelita ran hard and fast as she could hear the wolf close behind her. She could hear it snapping at her as she ran. Aelita screamed loudly in fear as ran past a tree. She crawled under a log as the wolf ran into the solid fallen oak. It sat their dazed but not out of the chase.

Aelita looked around. She needed to hide. She could hear the wolf coming. She then noticed their was a tree with a large hole in it. It was just big enough for her to fit in. Aelita climbed inside and positioned herself as far from the entrance to the hole as possible. Aelita covered her mouth as she tried to remain as quiet as possible. She could hear the wolf outside sniffing around, but she couldn't see it.

Suddenly the wolf s head appeared in the hole...it had found its prey. The wolf barked and snapped at Aelita, but the young girl was to far out of the wolf's reach for it to grab a hold of her. The wolf snapped and clawed at the hole as it tried to make it wider. Aelita screamed as she awaited for the wolf to get her. She cried for Mommy or daddy to save her. She cried for someone to save her.

A loud gun shot rang out as the wolf suddenly ran off. Aelita opened her eyes as she heard a second gun shot. She heard someone outside, painting loudly as she also saw the light of a flash light on the ground.

Aelita! A voice called out. A voice she recognized.

Daddy! Aelita yelled as she began to climb out of the tree. As she climbed down she saw her father running towards her with a shot gun in his hand. He dropped the gun and bent down to hug his daughter. Tears formed in his eyes as Aelita cried loudly.

Men took mommy, daddy. Men took mommy Aelita cried as Waldo held his child in his hands..

Why did you show me this? Aelita said with tears in her eyes.

Because you need to remember this moment when the time comes. All you have seen, all the errors and mistakes I have made, can be undone in the next few weeks, Waldo said as the world faded back to the darkness Aelita arrived in.

What do you mean Daddy? Aelita said as she failed to notice what was going on.

You have a chance to fix everything. Your mother, The System, and your freedom. You and your friends have the chance to find and free them all.

You mean... Mom is alive? Aelita asked with large eyes.

Yes... you must find her. Find her and save her, Waldo said as he began to fade away.

Daddy, wait! Don't go! Aelita yelled as she ran up and hugged him.

I will never leave you... I will always be with you, and I will see you again one day.

I ll save Mommy... I ll save everyone... Aelita said as she bawled her eyes out.

I love you, my little princess And I m so proud of you, and happy for you and Jeremy Waldo said. As he began to fade faster.

I love you too, daddy... goodbye! Aelita shouted as the entire world lit up and faded in a bright light. Aelita saw her father rise into the sky and fade in the light. Tears flowed from her face as she realized. She had lost her father again, but this time she had a chance to say goodbye.

Aelita's eyes slowly opened. Her body felt surprisingly refreshed and energized. She didn't feel pain or soreness. She felt as if she had her first peaceful night's sleep in ages.

Aelita glanced around as she stared at the ceiling of the factory. She slowly sat up to see if anyone was around. She caught sight of her best friend at the computer as usual. She was so happy to see him, even though he hadn't noticed she was awake, she was just glad to see him.

Jer...Jeremy Aelita said groggily.

Jeremy turned around fast and saw Aelita sitting up on the cot. His eyes grew wide with happiness and surprise to see his best friend awake and well.

Aelita! Jeremy shouted with excitement as he got out of his chair and ran to her. He hugged her to Aelita's surprise. At first she was a little embarrassed, but after a few seconds closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him.

I was so worried you weren't gonna wake up, Jeremy said as he pulled back to see Aelita's face.

How long was I out? Aelita asked as she rubbed her eyes.

7 hours. I was so worried, Jeremy said.

What happened? I remember the crystal in the computer but... Aelita trailed off

I'm not sure what happened either. We'll talk later.

Jeremy... I know what happened to my mother. I know what the System is and what I have to do. I saw my father, Aelita said.

Jeremy's eyes widened as he tried to compensate what Aelita just said. You saw him?

Yes... I finally got the chance to say goodbye, Aelita said.

Well, we got trouble... Xervix knows where the System is and he wants to use Code Earth to come and retrieve it and you... and apparently me, Jeremy said.

Send me to Lyoko. I have to stop this, Aelita said as she walked to the elevator. Jeremy ran over to it as the elevator rode down to the scanner room. The elevator door opened revealing a open scanner in the corner.

Aelita, are you sure you wanna do this? Jeremy asked.

You guys are my family. I won t let any of you suffer the same fate as my father. No one will, Aelita said.

As she prepared to step inside the scanner, Aelita felt a hand grab her on her wrist, she turned to see Jeremy starring at her.

Please come back, Aelita. Please come back to me, Jeremy said slowly.

I will, I promise. Aelita assured him.

She moved closer to Jeremy as Jeremy began to turn red. Aelita looked up at the only person in her life who mattered more than anything to her. Almost every time she was in trouble or needed his help he was there, every time. Her very own knight in shining armor. She leaned forward to his lips and closed her eyes. She felt her lips touch his once more. It felt incredible. Even better then before. She felt his hands wrap around her waist as he pulled her in closer. Aelita wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt bliss and joy fill her entire body. She loved this. She realized how much she loved him.

Jeremy finally let go as Aelita stepped inside the scanner. The scanner s doors began to close as Aelita finally said the one word she had always wanted to say to him.

I love you, Jeremy.

Jeremy heard the words dance in his ears as he watched the doors to the scanner close. Before the doors sealed he shouted the words he had always wanted to say, the words he thought he would never say.

I love you too, Aelita! 


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 31

The New Dawn

The Factory, prior to Aelita's awakening.

"So, what the hell are you supposed to be?" Ulrich asked the toy-like face, which was looking at the Warriors from the main screen of the supercomputer.

"I'm a prototype A.I. The first A.I. Waldo Schaffer built for his original computer back in Colorado," Puck explained.

"Wait... there is another one?" Yumi asked in confusion.

"Yes. It's in the basement of Aelita's house in the U.S. I was left there for the worse case scenario."

"Which is?" Jeremy asked.

"The discovery of the System and Aelita. Waldo knew in order to protect his daughter he would have to die. He wanted to free her from his fate. But he never figured that children would discover the computer... he had intended for the FBI to find it and save her. You were not meant to discover this."

Jeremy felt a small lump in his throat. "So...I shouldn't of found Aelita?"

"No. It's a good thing you did, the scenario Waldo figured was that Xana would attempt to destroy humanity," Puck said. "You kids did that which Waldo never thought could be done... you kept Xana in the computer and destroyed it."

"Wait... Aelita is Waldo Schaffer's daughter?" William asked.

"Yeah," Odd said.

William felt the small revelation turn to anger. He couldn't believe the gang had hid this from him. He thought they had been upfront about everything and that they might of began to trust him. Instead they hid a major secret from him, which made William wonder what else was hidden.

"Why didn't you tell me?" William asked with bitterness.

"We wanted to keep it secret," Yumi told him.

"So you decided not to tell me? Even after how hard I have tried to gain your trust and all? Save your lives and everything… And… you still don't trust me?" William asked.

"No, Will. We do trust you... it's just that-"

"What? I might get possessed again? Or were you afraid that I might reveal your secret?" William said with anger in his voice.

"No it's not that, William... we just-" Ulrich said until William cut him off.

"You just didn't want me to jeopardize the group anymore. I see... So, even after everything I have done you still don't trust me. Do you trust anyone?" William asked.

"Every time we try to get help they end up getting in the way... Jim, Sissi, Milly and Tamiya. They always end up wanting to spill the beans. If they found out about the computer, Aelita might be discovered by those men in black and we would go to jail or worse..." Jeremy said.

"So, what about me?" William asked

"We were gonna tell you eventually... we really were, we just didn't know if you would believe it," Odd said.

"We trust you Will... seriously," Yumi assured him.

"Well you guys have one hell of a way of showing it!" William shouted.

The gang was silent. William had every right to be angry. He had been trying so hard to fit in with the group. And he was so close to it that the gang had forgotten their problems with him. But now this had to happen and set all Williams hard work back.

"You're right, William." Jeremy said. William turned to look at the young blonde in the chair.

Jeremy continued, "I trust you... we all do. You're like the big brother to us now... but we had no right to hide the truth from you. I'm sorry."

Yumi, Odd and Ulrich all agreed with a look of sympathy on their faces.

"No more secrets, that's all I want," William said as he walked over to a chair and sat in it.

"You kids done with the drama yet? We got problems," Puck interrupted.

"What problems?" Jeremy asked.

"Xervix knows where the System is. He just needs to come to Earth to retrieve it," Puck said.

"Come to Earth? How will he do that?" Odd asked.

"Code Earth…" Jeremy murmured. "I never deleted it, I saved it in case we had to use it again. But… how? I have it on the hard drive to the computer... he can't access it."

"He will go to the memory sector to find it, but to do so he needs to unlock the 4 main sectors... and sector 5. He has already unlocked the desert area. He needs the main ones, not the sub sectors. Once he has that... he can come to earth as he pleases," Puck said.

"Then we need to stop him here and now!" Ulrich said.

"In order to do so you need to deactivate the towers he is trying to unlock... but it won't be easy. And it's not your only problem... Mal-Tech is coming for Aelita and Jeremy. They want them so they can use the System," Puck warned

"Wait! Who is Mal-Tech?" Yumi asked.

"The organization that kidnapped Antea... and has the System."

"Antea? Aelita's mom?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes... they have her and she is still alive. But if they get a hold of Aelita, everything that Waldo and others like him sacrificed will have been for nothing. They will use it to take control of the whole planet, and Aelita will be their ultimate weapon."

"Then why do they need Jeremy?" Yumi asked.

"Because they will use him as a pawn to force Aelita. He is the Obsever, the Protector of the Avatar," Puck said

"Then we have to stop them... and Xervix." William said as he stood up. "We can't come this far to let Aelita just disappear like her parents did."

"William's right. First we stop Xervix... then Mal-Tech... and then we're done with all this," Yumi said.

"Wait... how do we trust this A.I.? How does it know so much?" Odd objected.

"Because Aelita knows me... I was her only non human friend back in America. Aside from one other who disappeared 4 years ago. And I have been watching you for years. Waldo's death, the computer's shut down... I saw it all. And there are others who can help..." Puck said.

" Others?" Ulrich asked

"As we speak my other friend...Frank Morse is working hard to keep Mal-Tech off your backs. And then the Feds will arrive to attempt to find Waldo. They can help as well. And me. And worse case scenario... there are other people out there who can fight our cause. If the worse case scenario happens."

"What's the worse case scenario?" Jeremy asked.

"The System, Aelita, and you fall into either Mal-Tech or Xervix's hands."

Jeremy turned out of the chair and looked at the others. He saw the look of distrust towards this A.I.'s supposed story. He remembered that before, Xana had used anything to try to gain the trust and in the end they were always betrayed by it. It had even at times torn them apart sometimes, so naturally they were still skeptical.

"Give us a minute," Jeremy said as he stepped out of the chair and lead the others over towards the cot Aelita laid on.

"What do you guys think?" Odd asked

"It's a trap... it's gotta be," Jeremy said.

"But if it's not then we're in a world of hurt if Xervix gets out. He has been awfully quiet as of late and to be honest, it's concerning," Ulrich said

"Yeah, Ulrich's right. Maybe we should look into this?" Yumi suggested.

"I just wanna say, let's be cautious. We don't know if this A.I. was sent by this Mal-tech thing," William suggested.

Jeremy looked over towards Aelita who seemed to be resting peacefully. She was breathing normally and looked almost like she normally does while sleeping. But after what had happened he was still worried. The voice, the floating, and the energy beams she shot out was a scary and troubling thing in the back of Jeremy's mind. What would happen if she didn't wake up? What would happen if she wasn't his little Aelita anymore after what had happened?

"I say we don't trust it... but if Aelita was here she would say, 'lets check it out'," Jeremy said.

"Check the super scan. If Xervix is activating towers then they would show up, wouldn't they?" Yumi suggested.

Jeremy ran back to the computer and opened up the super scan. To his surprise, Puck was right. There were 4 towers activated in the 4 different sectors, with one more about to activate in sector 5. And Jeremy could see a large amount of monsters around the towers.

"He's right," Jeremy said, surprised.

"Thanks, Blondie... jeez, and Aelita has a crush on you?" Puck joked causing the blonde to blush.

"OK so we gotta go then?" Ulrich asked

"Yeah it looks like it. But be careful... first sign of trouble and I will pull you out, OK?" t

The gang nodded as they ran to the elevator. Odd turned around to see Jeremy walking over to Aelita. He had a sad look on his face...Almost like he was really worried. Odd decided to walk over and see how he was doing.

"You OK, Einstein?" Odd asked.

"I'm worried, Odd. I had hoped this was all behind us… but it's not. It keeps getting worse for her." Jeremy said.

Odd put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder as he realized that this was affecting him more then he thought.

"She's gonna be OK Jeremy. She's got you to protect her. She's in good hands," Odd said

Jeremy gave a small smile. "Thanks, Odd"

Odd ran over to the elevator as the others begin scolding him for taking his time. The elevator lowered down. The door opened to reveal the scanner room. The 3 large phone booth like tubes were open and beginning to hum loudly. The doors opened with a loud hissing noise.

"OK, Puck says he will meet you when you virtualize in the forest sector... still, be careful," Jeremy said on the loud speaker.

"I ever tell anyone how much I hate going through these?" William said.

"Why?" Ulrich asked.

"Well, it's like going through a straw like roller coaster... makes me nauseous."

"Does the same to me all the time," Odd added as he stepped in.

Yumi and Ulrich stepped in theirs as well as the doors shut. William stood next to Yumi's as he waited for his turn. He heard the scanners rev up and finally roar to life as the trio was sent to Lyoko. The door opened as William nervously stepped in. William tried to shut his eyes as he felt his feet leave the floor of the scanner and felt like he was suddenly shot though the air at high speeds.

Next thing he knew he had landed on his feet on Lyoko. He stood up to see the others already standing and getting their bearings.

"OK Jeremy, we're here... Where is this guy?" Yumi said.

"He should be right next to you..." Jeremy said as Odd walked forward.

Odd looked around through the thicket of fake trees for any sign of what he guessed was a walking, talking doll. He held up his left arm and cocked it with a fresh round. He looked down at his wrist as it said it was selected to Laser arrow. He figured he would save the other weapons for when the fighting began.

A figure suddenly dropped down from the tree in front of Odd as he yelped in fear. Odd backed up and fell on his but as he aimed his arm at the figure, only to finally calm down when he saw it was the same figure on the computer screen back at the lab.

"Hey kitty, you didn't land on your feet," Puck Joked.

Ulrich already had his blade drew as he still didn't trust this guy. "OK, I'm getting pissed...What do you want?" Ulrich demanded.

"I told you. We gotta go. If we don't stop Xervix we're in trouble," Puck said.

"Can you try to be more specific?" William demanded.

"Xervix gets into the memory sector, he gets the Code: Earth program. Then he can come to Earth whenever he wants," Puck said. "And the first thing he will want to do is hunt you all down."

"We need to split up... it would be easier if we did this two by two," Yumi suggested.

"OK... Odd and William, head to the ice sector...Yumi, Ulrich, and Puck… you two head to the forest sector's southern edge. Keep a eye on Puck," Jeremy said over the speaker as the vehicles began to virtualize.

"Don't worry... by the end of the day you will like me," Puck said.

The Overboard virtualized as Odd hopped on. William saw his vehicle begin to virtualize as Odd watched tires, a seat, and handle bars appear.

"Whoa, William... Nice ride" Odd said as Yumi and Ulrich glanced at it.

"Guys... Meet the Over wheel" Jeremy said as William hopped on it. It was a blue and white four wheeler like machine with a small jet engine on the back similar to where Ulrich's was on his Over bike. William reaved up the engine as it purred like a usual 4 wheeler. He smiled as he glanced at the others.

"I will take 4 wheels over 1 or a flying surf board" William said.

"Yumi, here is your new Overwing," Jeremy said as Yumi noticed a small jet ski like sled appear right next to her feet. It was slim and looked like some one took a seat and handle bars and placed it on the overboard.

"WHAT?" Yumi said as she looked at it. "This is awesome!"

"Man, I want a new vehicle." Ulrich moaned as he hoped on the over bike. He felt Puck climb on behind him as Yumi sped off towards the southern edge of the forest sector. William and Odd flew towards a way tower to head to the Ice sector. Jeremy watched them from the lab as he glanced over his shoulder every once in a while, checking on Aelita. She had not stirred since William set her on the cot a few minutes earlier.

Jeremy watched as William and Odd flew like lightning to a local tower and entered it. The pair flew down to the Ice sector as they left the tower.

They sped down the path of the ice sector and towards the glowing red tower. As the tower came into view on Jeremy's screen, he saw Xervix's welcome party.

"Guys, be careful... you got 2 Sentries, a Defender, one Krab and 3 Kankerlats," Jeremy said.

"What, no Block? I was hoping for one," Odd joked.

Odd flew ahead as he came into view of the tower, he saw the large welcome party that Jeremy spoke of. The Sentries looked up and opened fire as the Krab charged up its main cannon.

Odd flew overhead and fired several Arrows into the crowd. He managed to destroy one Kankerlat as he flew around the tower, preparing for another pass. The Defender grunted and pointed at Odd as the Krab fired its main cannon. Hitting the overboard, the board shook as Odd felt the board solid mass begin to fade away and disappear under him. Odd fell to the ground as he fired a second laser arrow. He landed on his feet as William rolled up next to him, he pulled out his large sword and used it as a barrier to protect Odd and himself.

"Thanks for the save, Will." Odd chirped.

"Don't thank me yet... we still got trouble," William said as the Krab approached the hunkered down kids.

"I got a idea," William said.

"What's that?" Odd asked.

William held out his hand as smoke began to wrap around his arm. The smoke then flew out and wrapped around Odd's body. William then flung Odd into the air as Odd screamed in both surprise and excitement. Odd saw the Krab get smaller as he gained altitude.

He then felt his body shift as gravity finally grabbed hold of him, he began to lose altitude as he saw himself getting closer and closer to the Krab. Odd felt his feet land on the Krab's top. The Krab buckled and shifted as the weight of the falling teen hit its legs. Odd stood up and switched his arm cannon to wave beam. He fired 3 whole rounds towards the nearest Kankerlat. The pink streams hit the sides of the Kankerlat. The streams then pulled together and cut the monster in Half. Odd then switched to his Ice shot. His right arm then turned white as frost built up on it.

"Cool... Literally," Odd said.

He pointed his arm down towards the Krab as he fired his cannon. A stream of liquid like ice flowed out of his hand as the Krab began to slow down and stop moving, ice covered the monster as large circles of ice built up around its legs and saucer like head.

"Wow... that's nice," Odd said as he jumped off the Krab. William streamed past him in his Super Smoke form. He flew past the Kankerlats and towards the Defender.

He reformed right in front of it as he sliced towards the Defender. The monster jumped back and dodged the slice. It pulled out its arm as its small bayonet like blade popped out of its cannon. It sliced towards William as fell backwards, bending his knees so that he didn't fall flat on the ground. William back flipped away from the Defender as Odd blasted the last Kankerlat, leaving the frozen Krab and 2 Sentries. Odd ran on all fours as the Sentries chased after him, firing his laser cannons. Odd veered left and right, dodging the Monsters' blasts.

"Odd watch out! 2 Blocks en route," Jeremy said.

"Yay! I love Blocks!" Odd exclaimed as he jumped up onto his legs and stopped.

He switched to his Wave cannon as he charged up both of his arms. He fired several rounds into the pair of Sentries. The ribbon like streams fired in almost a full automatic like blast. They pierced the pair of monsters, the Streams formed together in the center of the body, causing both of them to explode. Odd heard a laser blast fly past his head, the purple feline boy turned in time to see 3 Blocks finally arrive on the scene of the fight.

"Hey guys...You're late." Odd said as he switched his cannon back to laser arrow.

"Odd, be careful! Aether and Tartarus are on the way!" Jeremy said over the intercom.

"How's Yumi and the others doing?" Odd asked.

The Overwing and Overbike flew down the forest sector towards the forest sector's activated tower. Yumi was having a blast with her newly designed vehicle. She was able to gain altitude faster and even do tricks she never could on her old Overwing. She flew in front of Ulrich and Puck as she did a barrel roll in front of them.

"I love it! I gotta get one of these back home," Yumi smiled as she showed off in front of her boyfriend.

"Can I try sometime?" Ulrich asked.

"Umm... I'll think about it hon," Yumi said as she winked at Ulrich.

"Now, why can't you do anything like that?" Puck asked.

"Because I got a passenger," Ulrich said.

"Hey guys, I got bad news... Xervix already activated the towers in sector 5, the Desert and mountain sector... All that is left is the Ice and Forest sector, if he activates those, then-"

"Then what, Jeremy?" Ulrich asked. "Jeremy?"

"Hang on...I'll call you back. You got Tarantulas, Mantas and some Hornets at the tower... I will be right back," Jeremy said.

"What's wrong? Jeremy?" Yumi asked.

"Maybe he has to take a wiz?" Puck joked.

"Oh shut up already, will you?" Ulrich said.

"Up ahead," Yumi said

A few meters from the group was the red glowing tower. The tower sat in the middle of the forest sector. Surrounding it was 4 large long legged creatures with long noses. They were Tarantulas.

Flying around the top of the tower were 3 small flying creatures, they were brown and had a long proboscis protruding from their heads; flying in between them were 3 large blue and white fish like creatures. These were Hornets and Mantas.

"Well, looks like the fun is about to begin," Yumi said as she stopped a few yards from the tower.

"How are we gonna do this? I mean, can you fight, Puck?" Ulrich asked as he hopped off the Overbike.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I can fight my own fights too," Puck said as his hands glowed.

A long bluish white light shot from his palms. As the light grew brighter is suddenly solidified. In Puck's hands now floated a silver and chrome colored staff. It was long with many different etchings and markings on it. The markings almost resembled computer codes of some shape or form. On the edge of the staff was a solid gold tip surrounding a crystal that changed several colors as it glowed.

"So... what can you do with that stick?" Ulrich asked.

Puck pointed it at Ulrich as a small stream of blue liquid shot out of the tip, the liquid flowed around the yellow ninja as it suddenly hardened and froze to him. Ulrich felt his body seize up as he was suddenly unable to move. All he could see was just a sheet of blue around his entire body. Puck slowly walked up to the staff and tapped on the ice surrounding Ulrich.

"Well I guess that answers your question, doesn't it?" Puck smiled as Ulrich grunted and wiggled in anger. Puck was suddenly startled by the sound of Yumi's fan being pulled out.

"Un thaw him," the Asian girl grunted.

"What's the magic word?" Puck asked.

"NOW!" Yumi immediately shouted.

Puck jumped at the sound of Yumi's demand. He pointed his staff at Ulrich as the small crystal turned red. A small orange ring shot out of the staff as the ice suddenly shattered, releasing Ulrich. The Samurai warrior fell to his knees as he grunted from the sudden release. Ulrich slowly stood up as he glared into the wide smile of Mister Puck.

"I hate you..." Ulrich moaned.

Suddenly a laser blast fired past the 3 warriors as the Tarantulas finally noticed the trio arguing off to the side. Ulrich pulled out his blades as Yumi jumped on her Overwing. Puck twirled his staff as he deflected another volley of laser fire; Ulrich ran towards the side to try and flank the monsters.

Ulrich zig-zagged in between trees, using them as cover to avoid the laser fire. Ulrich pulled out his blades as he ran towards the group of Tarantulas. The closest Tarantula raised up its arm cannon to fire.

Ulrich sliced his sword though its arm, cutting it in half. Ulrich then stabbed his sword deep into the Tarantula's chest. The monster writhed in pain as Ulrich tossed the monster towards the other 3 Tarantulas, knocking them over like bowling pins.

Ulrich then jumped into the air and stabbed his swords into the closest Tarantula's head, puncturing its week point. The monster screamed in agony as it exploded into several digital pixels. Ulrich landed on the ground in between the other two Tarantulas as they both lowered their blasters at Ulrich.

Ulrich glanced back and forth as he smirked. "Who's next?"

Yumi flew in between the trees as she tossed another fan at the chasing Mantas. The Mantas swerved to avoid the fan. They howled and screeched as they fired off a series of lasers. Yumi flew past a large tree as the lasers hit the tree's side. Yumi then turned and flew towards the Mantas. The Mantas fired off several shots as Yumi got closer.

Yumi opened up both her fans as her body began to glow white. She held the fans out in front of her with her telekinesis. Yumi flew past the first Manta as she used her telekinesis to separate the fans and turn them into several shards of shrapnel. The pieces of fan zipped around her entire body creating a wall of metal shards. The shards zipped and sliced through the skins of the Manta, chopping the monsters into little tiny pieces as they exploded. Yumi brought the fans back and reconnected them with her telekinesis. Yumi flew her Overwing low to the ground as she came to a stop and hopped off. No sooner had she hopped off the Overwing when she heard the squeal of the surviving Manta coming in for a dive bomb. The Manta launched a red mine towards Yumi. The mine whistled in air as it closed in on Yumi.

"What the...Oh shi-" Yumi shouted as she dived out of the way in time for the mine to hit the Overwing, destroying the vehicle in a large explosion.

Yumi slammed into the ground as the Manta flew past the explosion site. Yumi staggered to her feet as she heard a faint noise in the background. She looked up to see the three Hornets circling around her. The nearest Hornet fired a round towards the warrior geisha. Yumi flipped out of the way in time for the shot to hit her foot.

Yumi laid on her back as she watched the other two Hornets aim towards her. She saw the lasers powering up in their tails. Yumi tried to get up as a laser shot hit her from her side. The Manta was back.

Yumi felt her body begin to fizzle and fade... a clear sign she was about to devirtualize. Yumi tried to pull out her fan, only to have it shot away from her arm via the Hornet. Yumi closed her eyes as she awaited her fate.

Suddenly a bolt of lighting struck all 3 hornets, causing them to explode simultaneously. Yumi covered her face as she was startled by the sudden explosion. She turned her head to see Mister Puck standing behind her, his staff arching with electricity as it arched and snapped around it.

"You OK?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Yumi said.

"Guys, I'm back," Jeremy announced over the intercom.

"It's about time... what happened?" Yumi asked.

"Aelita woke up. She is on her way to the ice sector to help," Jeremy said.

"Is she OK?" Yumi asked.

"She apparently knows everything... I'm not sure," Jeremy said.

"Well, at least she is awake and alive though, Jer!" Odd replied over Jeremy's head set.

Jeremy was about to reply when he noticed a pair of large blips heading towards Ulrich and Yumi's location. They were larger then normal monsters, which lead Jeremy to come up with one possible situation.

"Ulrich, Yumi, Puck. You got incoming. One looks like Aether but I can't tell who or what the other one is. As a matter of fact there appears to be 3 of them."

"Three? Must be Xervix and Tartarus," Ulrich said.

The three looked up in time to see the bird man flying towards them. Ulrich drew his blades as Yumi readied her fans. Aether stopped dead in the air and stared at the 3 warriors. His silver armor glistened in the digital sunlight as he chuckled at the sight.

"Sorry dirty ground walkers... another time Peons," Aether chuckled as he flew off towards the edge of the sector.

"Hey, where is fly-boy going?" Puck said as he rested his staff on his shoulders.

"He really isn't the bravest of Xervix's goons," Yumi said.

"Granted... But he makes a excellent distraction," a voice said from behind the 3 warriors.

They turned around fast to see a thin young looking brunette. She leaned up against a nearby tree with her hands folded. She wore bright green armor plates around her arms, legs, chest and stomach. Her hair was scruffy and messed up as she smiled with a fangy almost serpentine like face. On her arms were long thin blades, attached to her wrist. Her armored plates were etched in a jagged and sharp design. Her boots ran up as high as her thighs. On the back half of her heels were white, jagged, sharp, and twisted pieces of metal sprouted from her ankles.

"Who the hell are you?" Yumi asked. "Another one of your friends, Puck?"

"Not mine…" Puck said

"Chaos. It's everywhere... It's in everything. Chaos breeds more Chaos. It burns the world, it destroys life. And it is my name. For I bring Chaos wherever I go. Even here!" Chaos said.

She slowly stood up and walked over to stand in front of the group. She cocked her head to one side as the thin blades on her arms suddenly came undone and dropped to the ground. The blades were attached by a long thin chain. Chaos then lifted her arms and began to twirl her blades around in a fast and wicked passion. The blades reached almost as far as the tops of the virtual trees. One blade came down close to Chaos's leg, as she hopped out of the way. The second blade sliced into the nearest virtual tree, chopping the tree straight in half down the center. The blades suddenly retracted inside of Chaos's arms as she grinned and hissed at the trio.

"Great... another one," Yumi said.

"Oh, but I'm not alone either," Chaos said. "Meet Atlas."

A large bulking Hulk-like man stepped into view from behind the tower. He was large and muscular, he wore a Spartan-like helmet and gold armor around his chest, arms, and shins. Large bronze chains. Red eyes peered from the inside of the helmet as the creature breathed heavily. It stopped next to Chaos as it slowly turned its head towards the 3 kids.

"Hello...Victims!" Atlas said as he suddenly charged towards the 3 kids.

Ulrich grabbed Yumi and dodged out of the way. Puck Jumped high into the air as Atlas slammed his fist into the ground. Ulrich and Yumi slammed to the ground as Ulrich felt a sudden tight, tugging sensation around his waist. He suddenly felt himself lift off the ground as he was pulled towards Chaos. Yumi gasped as she reached out to try and grab her boyfriend. Ulrich slammed to the ground next to Chaos. Ulrich laid there in a daze as his vision suddenly cleared. He then realized that he was staring into the eyes of the monster who had just appeared a few minutes ago.

"You know... you're quite cute for a insect. I might keep you as my own little personal pet." Chaos said as she bent down towards the tied up teen.

"How about… a kiss?" Chaos said as a snake like tongue suddenly sprouted out of her mouth, the forked tongue flickered and twirled around as she slid it around Ulrich's chin.

"No thanks. I'm already taken," Ulrich grunted as he gagged from the sight of the lizard tongue.

"Oh really? Who is that?" Chaos asked.

A large fan then suddenly zipped past Ulrich's head and cut the chain he was wrapped around. Chaos jumped back in fear as she followed the fan back to the young Asian who threw it.

"That would be me… now get away from him you Bitch!" Yumi shouted.

Chaos hissed as the blade suddenly reattached to a new chain. Chaos flung her arm out as the blade flew right at Yumi's face. Yumi leaned backwards as she watched the blade fly right by her face, it was so close she was even able to see her reflection in the blade.

The blade retracted as Yumi noticed the second blade sliding right towards her feet. She jumped out of the way as Yumi tossed her second fan. The fan flew through the air, then struck its target on her arm as Chaos shirked in pain. She held her arm as she glared at Yumi. She ran towards Yumi as the fan returned to her. Chaos fell to the ground as she attempted to slide into Yumi's legs. Yumi back-flipped to avoid the kick as Chaos flung out another blade.

Yumi grabbed the chain in a attempt to block the attack, only to have the chain wrap around her wrist.

Chaos stood up and twirled her blade around, fleeing Yumi into the air. Yumi felt as if her wrist was being pulled out of her hand. Yumi suddenly felt a hard thud as she slammed into a tree. Yumi pulled out her fan and sliced the chain in half. Yumi felt her body fall several feet towards the ground. She concentrated as her whole body turned white. Moments before she hit the ground she suddenly stopped dead in the air and stood upright. She was using her telekinesis to help her float off the ground.

"Get down here!" Chaos shouted as she jumped up towards Yumi.

Yumi reached out her hand and grabbed a log laying next to her. The log suddenly flashed white as it flew through the air and struck Chaos in the waist. Chaos grunted loudly as she flew several feet into the air. Yumi ran up to the flying log and jumped onto Chaos's shoulders. She then kicked hard, slamming the monster to the ground. Yumi then ran over and attempted to punch Chaos in the head. Chaos pushed the log off her chest, hitting Yumi's arm. Yumi stumbled a little as Chaos back flipped into the geisha, planting her feet into Yumi's chest. Chaos pulled out her arms as she prepared to slice Yumi in two. Yumi closed her eyes as she anticipated the inevitable end, again in this fight.

"Bye bye, birdy!" Chaos grinned as the blades shined in the light.

Suddenly, a yellow streak planted into the monster woman's face. Her face rippled as Ulrich's foot pushed harder into Chaos's face. Chaos flew off Yumi as Ulrich caught her in his arms. Ulrich landed on the ground as he let Yumi stand up from his rescue.

"No one... No one does that to my girlfriend and gets away with it!" Ulrich grunted as he pulled out his swords. Yumi stood up and pulled out her fans.

"Love you Ulrich," Yumi said.

"Love you too," Ulrich said as he kissed Yumi on the lips.

"Oh gag! You're gonna regret choosing her over me!" Chaos said as she learched down low to the ground.

"You belong to me Ulrich... YOU BELONG TO ME!" Chaos shouted as she ran towards the two lovers.

Ulrich and Yumi ran side by side as Chaos jumped into the air. She twisted and twirled her body as daggers flew from her arms. The blades slashed the ground as the chains whipped and snapped from the force Chaos produced from the motion she performed.

Ulrich jumped towards her and twisted his body as his Swords also sliced through the air. The first of Chaos's daggers hit Ulrich's sword as the second was deflected by Ulrich's other sword. Ulrich slid into the ground and back flipped. Yumi ran up to Ulrich and jumped onto his feet. Ulrich pushed off with all of his might, tossing Yumi far into the air. Yumi jumped far beyond Chaos's reach as she tossed both her fans at the monster woman. Chaos bent her back as the fans flew past her face.

Before Chaos could sit up, a pair of feet slammed into her chest, cramming her into the ground. Yumi stared at Chaos as she caught her fans. Yumi held her fans out as she prepared to strike.

"Oh, so eliminating the competition?" Chaos asked.

"Thu... there is no competition here. Ulrich is my boyfriend and not yours," Yumi said.

"But is he really?" Chaos asked as she suddenly wrapped up Yumi in her chains. Yumi shirked in fear as she felt herself lifted into the air. She struggled to try and free herself, the chains were snugly wrapped around Yumi's arms and shoulders. Yumi looked at Ulrich as he prepared to strike.

"As soon as I erase you, fleshy...Ulrich will be all mine!" Chaos said as she jumped into the air and threw out her other chain dagger. She implanted it into a tree as she swung off with Yumi.

"ULRICH!" Yumi screamed. Ulrich super sprinted as he gave chase to the kidnapping monster.

"Hang on Yumi... I'm coming," Ulrich said.

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!" a voice said from behind.

Ulrich turned to see Atlas brandishing a large gold and chrome looking rifle under his arm. The rifle began to glow, preparing to fire. Ulrich had no time to react. If he moved, he would lose Chaos. If he didn't, he would get devirtualized from the shot.

Suddenly a purple blur slammed into Atlas's shoulder, causing him to fire his shot into the air. Atlas studdered as he tripped and fell over onto the ground. Atlas grunted as he attempted to sit up. But a shot of lightning suddenly slammed into his chest, flinging him just a few inches from were he fell. Atlas grunted in anger as he sat up, only to be greeted by a second bolt of lighting.

"I got this... Go save your lover," Puck said as he stood with his staff arching with electricity.

"Thanks," Ulrich said as he ran off.

"Told you that you would like me by the end of the day."

Sector 5 was dark and blue. The walls flowed with the digital information from all of Lyoko. On a loan edge of the celestial dome was a long figure at the main terminal of the sector. His clawed hands worked fast and tirelessly as he prepared for the fruit of his labor.

"So close... So close indeed." Xervix said as he monitored all the towers that were activated. The only one that was left to activate was the Ice Sector.

Aether and Tartarus would have to activate that one or all they had worked for would be lost, and the children would win once more... The children, Xervix found them repulsive and disgusting. But he needed Aelita and Jeremy. Or else his plan would be nothing more but a mere shell.

In the lab Jeremy watched as he monitor Xervix from the lab. He typed in several codes and commands as he attempted to hack into the terminal. Finally he was successful and a window popped up, revealing what exactly Xervix was up to. What he saw made his skin turn pale and burst into a cold sweat.

"Oh no," Jeremy said. "Guys, we got a problem. Xervix doesn't need to go into the memory sector of Lyoko. He has accessed it from sector 5. If the tower in the Ice sector gets activated, then Xervix will be able to come to Earth!"

"Can you stop him from there?" Aelita asked.

"I'll try but the others really need your help," Jeremy said.

"I'm in the forest sector now. Who needs help more?" Aelita asked.

"By far Ulrich and Yumi. William and Odd just cleared out the monsters from the ice sector. But Aether and Tartarus just arrived. And it doesn't look good."

"The forest tower was activated?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah. Ulrich, Yumi, and Mister Puck got there too late. The two new monsters activated them," Jeremy said as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead.

Aelita stopped dead in midair as she hear the news on the newest member of the team.

"MY DOLL?" Aelita asked, quite shocked, as she cocked her head to its side.

"Well... Yes and no." It's an A.I. In the form of Mister Puck," Jeremy explained.

"Could that be the little friend I talked about?" Aelita mumbled. "OK. I'll head to the forest and get the others and head to the ice sector."

"Hurry, Aelita!" Jeremy said.

"Wait... Is he gonna send his monsters or these Titans?" Aelita asked.

"The...THAT'S IT!" Jeremy exclaimed suddenly. "He created the Titans to send them to Earth to do his bidding. He can't send monsters because we destroy them too easily. So he comes to Earth with the Titans."

"And we got a real fight on our hands," Aelita said as she flapped her wings faster to get to the forest sector.

Odd stood with the last of the Kankerlats in his hands, squirming to try and get free. It wiggled and squirmed as Odd held onto it with both of his hands. A little ways off William stood with his Sword. He slammed the blade into the ground twice as he held it with both hands and took up a firm swinging stance.

"OK, you ready Will?" Odd asked.

"Yup" William said.

"Hey, batter batter batter!" Odd joked as he tossed the Kankerlat at William.

Will swung the sword and slammed the Kankerlat against the virtual swords metal. The Kankerlat flew through the air. It twisted and spinned as the Kankerlat squealed.

"And it's a hard drive into left field, It's going going-"

The Kankerlat suddenly exploded in midair as its virtual pixels fired into hundreds of pieces.

"Gone!" William said as he held up his hands into the air.

"Nice air time," Odd said as he gave William a thumbs up.

"Odd, William. Stop playing around. You got incoming. And you can't let any of them get inside the tower," Jeremy said.

"Who is it?" Odd asked.

"Tartarus and Aether."

William looked to the north of the tower and spotted the two Titans running at full speed towards them. Aether flew hard and fast, flapping his wings hard and ferociously as Tartarus ran with his sword over his left shoulder. William recognized Taratarus's run as the same run he did when he ran into battle. It was a reminder of the dark times from when he was literally forced against his will to try and destroy his friends. Those times cost him almost everything. His friends, his relationship with Yumi, and his life.

"I got Aether," Odd said as he cocked his Arm Cannon.

"Fine by me...Time I erased my past for good," William said.

Tartarus stopped dead in his tracks as he swung his sword and pointed it at William.

"The time is ripe...You shall become part of me...Your time ends Now!" Tartarus yelled.

"I've waited for this for too long. It's time I finished this and redeemed myself... Lets go! My unforgivable past," William said.

Tartarus threw his sword at William. The curved and wicked blade flew directly at him. William crossed his arms and vanished in a cloud of white smoke. The smoke flew towards Tartarus as William exploded from the cloud. William jabbed his sword at Tartarus. The dark William blocked the attack with his gauntlet. Tartarus threw out his hands as a stream of black smoke. The smoke wrapped around his sword and pulled it back towards William.

William dodged in time for the blade to pass by his side. Tartarus kicked him in the side. He stumbled a little bit as Tartarus jumped in the air and attempted to stab him.

Tartarus slammed the sword into the ground next to William as William punched Tartarus clean in the face. Tartarus flew backwards and landed on his feet, sliding to a halt. William ran hard and fast and attempted to spear Tartarus. Tartarus tried to block it with his sword, Williams sword Hit Taratarus's sword so hard that it knocked both their swords out their hands. The swords flew off to the left and landed right next to each other.

Tartarus and William looked at each other for a few seconds and ran towards their swords. Tartarus jumped and landed on his stomach, falling just a few inches from his sword. William jumped into the air and plowed his elbow into Taratarus's back. Tartarus grunted as he flipped over and punched William in the side. Tartarus grabbed one handle of his sword, William grabbed the handle of his as they both jumped away from each other.

Tartarus held up his sword, he noticed the black veins and Xana symbol on the sword were missing. Instead a pure piece of metal sat on the hilt of the blade.

William looked at his and spotted that the sword he carried was actually the original sword he held when he was controlled by Xana. It was a horrible and sick feeling holding that sword again. William threw the sword to the side in anger.

" I would rather fight you without a sword then with that!" William protested.

Tartarus walked over and picked up the sword as he now carried both swords in his hands.

"Ask and you shall receive."

Odd ran from a salvo of laser beams from Aether. Odd watched as lasers hit to his left and right. Aether flew close behind him and flew close to the deck of the ground. He pulled out his silver Daggers as he closed in for the kill.

He flew within inches of the purple cat boy as he prepared to strike. Odd ran on all fours as he attempted to pick up speed. Aether began to lose his enemy. Aether tried to flap harder but the cat boy continued to pick up speed.

Aether opened his beak and fired another shot. The explosion slammed right behind Odd, sending him flying. Odd tumbled and fell into the ground hard, knocking the boy unconscious. Aether landed a little ways behind the knocked out teen as he slowly approached his enemy. He slowly drew his Daggers as he prepared to strike.

"And to think a lowly mammal that crawls and slithers on the ground can stand up to a air god like me? Allow me to show you the failure of your species," Aether said as he raised up his daggers.

"Into the tower Aether." a voice said from the air.

"But why? Why should I be first?" Aether asked.

"Because I command it, you worthless piece of memory. Now into the tower and prepare the invasion!" The voice said.

"As you command, might Xervix," Aether said as he flew over to the tower.

Back in the lab Jeremy watched as Aether entered the tower. His skin crawled as he nervously watched.

"GUYS HURRY! Aether is almost at the tower. He is gonna come to Earth."

"I can't stop him, Chaos still has Yumi!" Ulrich said as he chased after the serpentine monster with Yumi in toll.

"I'm busy myself I'm afraid" Mister puck said as he blocked another blow from Atlas's large and powerful fist.

"I'm almost to Ulrich and Yumi!" Aelita said as she zipped in and out of the tree line.

She spotted right in front of her Ulrich chasing after Chaos with Yumi tied up in her chains. Aelita flapped harder and zoomed in to try and catch up to the ensuing chase.

"I...Can't...Get there..." William said as he tried to hold back Tartarus and both of his swords. William grabbed his sword and kicked Tartarus away. William disappeared into a cloud of smoke as he began to run to the tower. As Aether began to enter the tower he heard William materialize right in front of him.

"NO YOU DONT!" William said as jumped into the air and prepared to strike at Aether. Aether screamed in surprise as he closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow to happen.

Aether opened his eyes to see a cloud of dark smoke wrapped around William. Tartarus threw William several feet to the left away from Aether and the tower.

"Now, go!" Tartarus yelled.

Aether entered the tower and slowly approached the console in the upper part of the tower.

"No… ODD! WAKE UP!" Jeremy yelled.

Odd just laid there, unconscious from the hit he took in the back of the head from hitting the ground. He didn't even stir a little. He just laid there as if he was asleep.

"Odd please wake up! Odd? ODD!" Jeremy shouted.

Slowly one of Odd's eyes slowly began to crack open.

Aether approached the tower and placed his hand to the console. The console then read, Aether... Code: Earth.

"IT HAS BEGUN!" Xervix shouted in sector 5 as the control panel buzzed to life and began sending the codes to activate the tower.

"Now, begins the Extinction of the human race!"

Aether felt his body begin to lift off the ground as he felt his body begin to brake down. He smiled at the idea of finally being able to bring the destruction of the human race to reality…

"GET AWAY FROM THAT TERMINAL, FLY BOY!" a voice shouted from behind him. Aether turned to see Odd enter the tower on his overboard, he aimed directly for the bird monster man and hit the accelerator. The Overboard hit Aether as suddenly both subjects disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

Jeremy watched on the terminal of the screen as Odd and Aether both dissapeard. Jeremy suddenly heard the scanner doors down below the lab open up. Jeremy got out of the chair and ran towards the ladder that ran down to the scanner room. Jeremy climbed down in time to see a large silver like creature enter the elevator and fly out through the hatch on top of the elevator.

"Oh no... Oh no..." Jeremy muttered.

"Where did he go?" a voice said from inside the scanner, followed by a unusual humming noise.

Jeremy turned around.

"Odd? What the…!" Jeremy asked, completely shocked at what he saw.

Kadic Academy.

The Black Mustang GT sat in the parking lot full of French vehicles and Smart cars. It almost seemed out of place as it was much bigger then most of the other cars in the parking lot.

Travis, George and Jessica walked up the steps to the main building as they noted many of the other students walking about, going to and from their various classes. None of the students made any notice of the three agents as they walked into the main campus hallway. They made it no more then 3 feet when they were met by a large scruffy man in a red jogging slicker.

"Welcome to Kadic Junior High Academy. I am Jim..."

"Jim Morales?" Travis asked.

Jim took a closer look at the trio before he recognized Travis and George. He swallowed hard as he realized exactly who they were.

"Uh... Agent Dalesman... Agent Knight. It's… uh... good to see you again," Jim said, a little embarrassed.

"You leave the FBI just to come work at a French school? You told me that you were with NASA now," Travis said, surprised.

"NASA! You told me in your last email that you were working with security for the local government," George said in shocked remark.

"Well, I did... I pulled security for one space shuttle launch, then I got a job over here, working security for a government convention, then I received a job here at the school wher I'm retired now," Jim explained as he smirked a little.

"...You got fired, didn't you?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah..."

"Why Jim? What happened?" Travis asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Which means you're lying," Jessica said

"Jessica. Jim may be many things but a liar he is not... if he said he has done something, he has done it," George said as he wrapped his arm around Jim.

"Yeah. The man literally saved the Earth once during the Y2K dilemma...With those Freedom Fighter Guys from E.D.F," Travis said.

"Yeah... I would talk about that. So how you guys been? What are you doing in France?" Jim asked.

"We're working on a case that we were hoping you could help with... can we speak to your principal by chance?" Jessica asked.

Jim nodded and lead them up into Principle Delmas's office. Jim knocked on the door as Jean Pierre allowed them to enter.

"Mister Delmas this is Agents Dalesman, Knight and uh...uh…"

"Hillsabeck," Jessica firmly said.

"Right what she said," Jim said.

"Oh my, well... Welcome to Kadic Academy... How may I help you?" Delmas said.

"Wow... you have really good English for a Frenchman" Travis said.

"Thank you. Most students here take English as a second language since we have a small percentage of people from Canada, England, and the United States," Delmas said as he whipped his glasses clean.

"So, how can I help you today?"

"Well, we have been working on a case as of late and we are hoping that maybe you can help us with 're looking for a man named Waldo Schaffer. He disappeared several years ago, but we found evidence he came here to Amines and got a job as a Math and Science teacher here at this school," George said.

"He… Here?" Delmas said.

"Yes. You know him by his alias, Franz Hopper," Travis said.

"Ah, yes... Franz Hopper. He was an old friend of mine back when we both arrived here... I had just become principal of the school and he was here about 3 years and eventually enrolled his daughter here in day classes. Then a few months later they both disappeared. No one knows where they went to. They left everything, their home, their stuff. It's as if they vanished over night. I'm not sure what happened to them but I sure hope they're OK wherever they went to," Delmas said as he rocked back and forth in his chair.

"Do you know if he ever mentioned anything about... enemies? Or anyone he was worried about?" Travis asked.

"No, but he did ask if that anything happened I would take care of his daughter if anything went wrong," Delmas said.

"Was he in trouble?" Jim asked.

"We're not sure but I think he was," Jessica said.

"Can you verify that who we are talking about is this man here?" Jessica said as she slid the picture of Franz Hopper to Principal Delmas.

"Yes, this is him," Delmas said as he glanced at the photo.

"And is this the daughter he brought to school?" Travis asked.

"Yes that is her. Strange... she looks almost familiar," Delmas said.

"She does seem familiar," Jim said as he held up the picture.

"Can you give us their last known address?" George asked.

"It was 1222 west gate. Just inside the park actually. Very secluded from the rest of the area, but adjective to the local lake in the park," Delmas said.

"Why thank you for your cooperation. If we have any more questions we will be sure to ask you," Jessica said as the other agents began to stand up and pack their gear in.

As Travis stood up, the door opened and in walked a young girl with black hair. She walked up and hugged Jean Pierre and called him daddy.

"Hi daddy. We still going to the movie tonight?" the young girl asked.

"Of course Elizabeth. Tonight at 7." Jean Pierre said.

"I told you daddy, call me Sissi...tha-"Sissi cut off as she noticed the picture of Franz Hopper's.

She picked it up as Jessica attempted to snatch it away from her.

"Stop... that's federal evidence!" Jessica said.

"Why do you have a picture of Aelita?" Sissi asked.

The grown ups in the room froze at the sound of the young teen's voice. The three agents stood in shock as they had not revealed the girls name to neither Jim or Jean Pierre. Jean Pierre and Jim stood in shock as they finally realized exactly who the girl in the picture looked like.

"Wait... how do you know her?" Travis asked.

"She goes to school here," Sissi said.

"Wait...Aelita Stones is Franz Hopper's child?" Delmas asked.

"How is that possible? She would have to be 25 or so by now?" Travis asked.

"I always knew there was something about Stones...want me to go get her?" Jim asked.

"She left to go hang out with Jeremy and the others," Sissi said.

"I knew there was something about them... I knew it." Jim said. "They are so busted when they get back the..."

"No Jim you cant...I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Sissi said.

"Elizabeth, I..."

"Sissi." Sissi said as she interrupted her father.

"Sissi...how long have they been gone?" Delmas asked,

"A few hours...they don't have classes today." Sissi said.

"Does Aelita have a cell number?" George asked.

"Yeah, I'll text her." Sissi said.

Sissi pulled out her phone and texted Aelita asking her where she was at. Sissi was worried. Had she spoken too much, had she defied her new friends' trust? What was gonna happen to Aelita now?

"Look, I don't know about Aelita's past but she is a friend of mine and a good person. She has not done anything wrong," Sissi said.

"Oh yeah she did. She is in here illegally... and she lied to us. That makes her nothing more but a common illegal criminal, they will certainly lock her up for this," Jim said.

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION SHE IS A ORPHAN...AND SHE IS ALONE...YOU'RE GETTING YOUR MONEY FOR HER GOING TO SCHOOL! SO WHY SHOULD IT BOTHER YOU, JIM? MAYBE IF YOU FOCUSED ON ACTUALLY TALKING TO THEM INSTEAD OF TRYING TO GET THEM IN TROUBLE A LOT, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT!" Sissi yelled.

Jim stood shocked as he could not believe what he had heard.

"Elizabeth Michelle Delmas...don't you ever speak to anyone like that again!" Delmas demanded.

"Look, Sissi. Were not gonna arrest her, and she is not in trouble. Were just gonna talk to her and make sure she is alright... and what do you mean… orphan?" Travis asked.

"She said a while back her parents were both dead... And Jeremy's parents have been taking care of her," Sissi said.

"Belpois?" Jim asked.

"Yeah."

"Well at least she is OK... Now what about Waldo?" George asked.

As Travis prepared to speak, a loud noise came from the courtyard of the school. It sounded like an electrical noise, followed by a large amount of screaming and yelling. Travis peaked out the window as Sissi ran out of the room.

"Sissi, wait!" Delmas shouted as Jim ran out after her.

"What the hell is that?" Travis said as he pulled out his pistol.

Sissi ran down the flight of stairs and ran outside, only to be met with mass panic from all the students. Students were running in multiple directions as they ran for cover from the sudden burst of fear and surprise. Sissi Saw Milly and Tamiya off in the distance. Milly was trying to help Tamiya up while as she was holding on to her leg and crying in pain. Sissi ran over to the 2 young teens as she saw Tanell running directly past them. Milly tried to scream and Tanell for help. Tanell stopped and looked at the 2 young girls, instead of offering help Tanell turned around.

"Tanell, please help! Tamiya sprained her ankle. Please!" Milly pleaded.

"I...I can't, I gotta go" Tanell said as she ran off. Milly screamed her name at the top of her lungs as Tanell ran inside.

Sissi wasted no time. She sprinted straight over to Milly and Tamiya. She ran over and saw the tears of both pain and fear in Tamiya's eyes. Sissi slowly helped Tamiya up and throwing her arm over her. Milly threw Tamiya's other arm over her arm as well as they slowly made their way back to the main campus.

By this time Jim and many other teachers had ran outside to try and understand what exactly was going on. Jim ran over to the three girls and lifted Tamiya into his arms.

"What the hell is going on?" Jim asked as they ran inside the campus hall way.

"I don't know… there was this high pitched squeal and suddenly some creature flew over the cafeteria and landed on it!" Milly said.

Sissi looked back to see the cafeteria was literally destroyed. The roof had caved in and one of the walls had literally collapsed. Sissi walked a little ways forward to get a better look of the cafeteria. By this time Travis, Jessica, and George were already outside. George walked out and saw the cafeteria all but destroyed. Jessica kneeled down and tended to Tamiya's sprained ankle as Travis walked over to Jim.

"What the hell is this man?" Travis asked.

"I don't know... this is new to me." Jim said.

"How did this happen?" Travis asked.

"This... this thing, this bird man flew up and landed on the building," Milly said.

"Bird... man?" George asked.

Jessica looked up as she was even more confused at what the young girl had said.

Sissi was listening to the story as she heard a loud swooshing noise. She glanced up in time to see a large object fly just behind the school. Sissi watched as she waited for the object to come back into view… only it never did.

Sissi began to walk back to the large group of kids when she heard a loud thud come from behind her. Dust and grass flew everywhere as Sissi noticed a tall shadow coming from behind her, followed by the screams of many of the kids and teachers at the school. Sissi then saw the 3 U.S. Agents run up and draw out their pistols.

"FBI! Who...whatever you are hands on your head, now!" Travis said.

Sissi heard a loud and heavy breath come from behind as she noticed the shadow move just a little. Sissi finally put 2 and 2 together. Something was standing behind her... directly behind her.

"Sissi! Come here... slowly girl," Jessica said as she held her hand out to try and coax the scared teenage girl away from the unknown object behind her.

Sissi turned around. She moved slowly and quietly as she finally came face to face with the creature that had just attacked her school. It looked like a man in silver armor with a mask on its face. She also noticed it had a pair of small daggers on its sides, and shined in the sunlight. Its feet looked almost like a bird's talons, sharp and pointy, only they looked like they were made of metal and not biological.

Then, she noticed the wings in between its arms. The wings looked like it was attached to its sides and its arms. Sissi looked it square in the eyes as she saw its white, clear, eyes. She couldn't see any pupils, but she knew it was looking at her. She could feel it.

Sissi's skin broke out into a cold sweat as she felt the fear flow through her entire body. Her legs shook and shivered as she tried to slowly back away. As she took her first step backwards, the creature bent down and stared at her right in the eye. Sissi gasped in fear as it stared right into her eyes.

"Hello... Germ," the creature said.

Sissi turned to run as the creature suddenly jumped into the air and grabbed her sides with its talon like feet. Sissi felt a tight sharp pain in her sides as she felt her feet leave the ground and the air rush around her as the beast began to pick up speed and altitude.

Sissi screamed at the top of her lungs as the creature flew up past the clock tower and circled around the roof of the science lab. Sissi pounded her fist against the monster's leg as she tried in vain for it to release her. Sissi felt the talons of the beast released her and dropped her on the roof. Sissi felt a rush of wind as she fell a few feet onto the hard concrete roof.

Sissi felt a sudden thump of pain as she rolled onto the roof of the building. The whole world suddenly seemed fuzzy to her as she tried to roll over on her back. She felt the side of her face and felt a sharp pain on the left side of her forehead. She looked at her hand and saw a small botch of blood in her palm. She felt the side of her arm and saw a large scrape on her elbow running down to her hand. Sissi felt a rush of pain run through her body.

Sissi looked over the ledge of the building and looked down, she saw the other students and faculty down below. They almost looked like tiny ants. Sissi could barely make out her father and Jim. She heard their muffled voices call out for her. Sissi turned to try and get off the roof, only to see the bird man standing right in front of her. Sissi backed off in panic as she felt fear rush through her entire body. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she backed to the very ledge of the roof.

"My my... tough little germ, aren't you?" the creature asked.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?" Sissi screamed.

"I am Aether...God of the skies," Aether said as he slowly approached the scared little girl.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!" Sissi screamed.

"Where is Aelita?" Aether demanded.

"...Aelita?" Sissi asked.

Aether suddenly ran forward and grabbed the little girl by the throat. He walked slowly over to the ledge and held the scared teenager over the ledge. Her feet dangled off the roof of the building as she screamed in fear.

"Where… is… Aelita?" Aether asked calmly.

Sissi wiggled as she tried to free herself from Aether's grasp. Sissi breathed heavy as she felt Aether's grasp tighten. She felt his long fingernails push deeper into her neck.

"Are we having fun?" Aether asked.

"NOT AS MUCH AS YOU WON'T IF YOU DON'T LET HER GO!" a voice shouted from behind them.

Aether turned around and threw Sissi off to the side. Sissi landed on the hard concrete once more as she felt the air fly out of her lungs. Sissi coughed and wheezed as she looked over to see who it was that had saved her. She slowly sat up and glanced in front of her to see a blonde boy... Odd.

"Odd!" Sissi murmerd in joy. He had saved her.

She began to stand up until she realized something was off with Odd. Something was different. Then she noticed it. He was dressed in what looked like a purple jumpsuit with a yellow symbol on it. He had purple face paint on his face and what looked like...

"Is that… a cat tail?" Sissi asked.

"Sissi, are you OK?" Odd asked.

"Odd, what's going on... what's happening?"

"Oh...Like the new outfit?" Odd Asked.

"OUTFIT! WHAT ARE YOU A SUPER HERO!" Sissi asked.

"Yup...and that makes you the damsel in distress" Odd said as he smiled. He held out his hand to Sissi who nervously and with some reserve took his hand. He lead her to behind him as Aether stood up and flashed his wings. He screamed a almost ferral yell as Odd cocked his left arm and pointed it at the birdman. Odd knew that the time for secret's, the time for hiding, was over.

Here it is, chapter 31 and this was a bitch to write. basically its setting the stage for whats to come and bringing everything to full circle. I wanted to show Sissi diffrently then they have in the show since we all know thier is a secret side of her she keeps hidden.

REVIEW OR NO MORE FREQUENT UPDATES


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 32

We're All To Blame

Light wind blew silently across the school yard. Students and faculty alike stood in a large group, their heads tilted in the direction of the roof of the science building. Many of them were covered in fear, others were confused. Many of the faculty were on their cell phones, calling into the local police force and fire rescue teams.  
All the while, a showdown was taking place on the roof of the science building. A young teenage girl hid behind a boy in a purple cat outfit. In front of them stood a tall winged demon-like bird man who stood with two large daggers in his hands. They waited for the first one to make their move.

"Sissi... Just stay behind me, you'll be fine," Odd said as he continued to point his hand towards the bird man.

"What is going on, Odd?" Sissi asked in confusion.

"Extinction, my dear amoeba. It's all about the death of you lowly, dirty, vile dirt walkers," Aether said.

"Who are you?" Sissi asked.

"Why... I'm the one who will cause it all, my dear."

"Sorry, not gonna happen, big bird!" Odd said as he fired a shot at Aether.  
Aether folded up one of his wings and blocked it as the laser arrow exploded on the wing's skin.  
"Now lets see what kind of fun we can have in this world!" Aether said as he charged towards Odd and Sissi.  
Odd fired 3 more shots which barely phased Aether. He wrapped his arm around Sissi and ducked out of the way in time for one of Aether's daggers to slam into the very spot they stood at a few seconds ago. Odd and Sissi slid against the gravel of the roof. They came to a stop. Odd found himself on top of Sissi, who blushed deeply.  
Odd stood up and ran over to Aether. He jumped on top of Aether's back and began to swing his fists wildly at the back of the beast's head. Aether reached around and grabbed Odd's tail. He then flung the cat boy across the roof. Odd landed on his feet and ran towards his opponent. Aether stabbed at Odd with his dagger. The boy narrowly avoided the blade and jumped into the air. He grabbed Aether's head and slammed his foot into it.  
Aether fell backwards and landed on his back as Odd slammed his feet into the bird's chest. Aether grabbed Odd 's tail and tossed him into one of the air vents, denting it hard. Odd fell onto his hands and knees as he moaned from impact. He attempted to get up, only to be slammed back into the ground by Aether's foot.  
Odd squirmed as he tried. Aether breathed in heavily as he gagged a little from the air.

"So this is the air you breathe here... It even makes me sick... Oh well, not like it matters," Aether said as he drew on of his daggers.

"Where is Aelita... And I promise if you tell, this girlfriend of yours will live," Aether proposed.

"OK... Aelita is... KICKING YOUR PARTNER'S ASS!" Odd screamed.  
He fired a final arrow at the air vent. The vent exploded and the blast caused Aether to loose his balance. Aether lifted his foot up in time for Odd to roll out from under it. Odd ran over and grabbed Sissi's hand and ran to the edge of the building.

Aether roared in anger as his beak opened, revealing his charging orange beam.

"Sissi... Do you trust me?" Odd asked.

"What?" Sissi asked frantically.

"Do you trust me?" He repeated his question.

"I...I guess," Sissi answered timidly.

Odd squeezed Sissi's hand hard as he jumped off the building with Sissi in tow. Sissi screamed at the top of her lungs as she suddenly felt her feet leave the roof of the building. She then felt a blast of intense heat come from behind her as the laser Aether was charging fired and hit the edge of the building. Sissi screamed loudly as she suddenly felt her feet hit something, her hand still clutching Odd's feline like hand.

Sissi opened her eyes to see that they were both standing on a purple platform that was hovering in midair. Sissi also noticed a soft humming noise coming from the platform.

"Hold on to me," Odd said as Sissi wrapped her arms around Odd's waist.  
Odd then hit a small button on the Overboard as it raised into midair and flew away from the roof. Odd heard a loud screaming noise come from behind them. He and Sissi turned to see Aether jump off the building and spread his silver wings. Odd flew right above the crowd and noticed Jim and Principal Delmas staring right at him.

"Great...we're screwed!" Odd hissed.

The Overboard flew over the main entrance to the gate as several police cars entered the main parking lot of the building. Aether flew directly after them, screaming loudly.

"Where are we going?" Sissi shouted.

"We gotta get to the factory. You'll be safe there and we might be able to stop Aether there."

"Odd, can you please for the love of God tell me what is going on?" Sissi demanded.

"Don't worry, I will... Just hang on!" Odd shouted as he flew his Overboard in the direction of the factory.

Sissi heard a loud scream coming from behind her. She turned around fast to see Aether flying rapidly in her direction. His silver wings attached to his arms glistened in the sunlight. Sissi taped Odd on the shoulder. Odd turned around and noticed Aether gaining on them. Odd cleared the front gate of the school as he swerved left to avoid a oncoming truck. Aether flew under the truck to avoid the collision. Odd flew the Overboard down the street, weaving in and out of traffic. Sissi screamed at the top of her lungs as a large semi went roaring by at high speeds. It went so fast that Sissi felt as if she would be ripped off the board. Aether flew past the same truck; his wing slapped the side of the truck's trailer. The force of the blow caused the trailer to tip over and slam onto the concrete. Aether chuckled at the sight of the semi's wreck.

"What are we gonna do?" Sissi yelled.

"Lets play tag!" Odd joked as he leaned to the right.  
The board suddenly spun around, facing Aether's destructive path. Odd fired a wave beam into the Titan. The beams bounced off Aether's wings. Odd spun the Overboard around again and hit the accelerator, speeding off towards downtown Amines.

"Oh god, we're gonna DIE!" Sissi repeated over and over.

"No we're not... Trust me, I'm a good flier," Odd said as the Overboard entered the downtown area.  
Odd swung down the cobble stone street as many of the people on the street stood in wonder at what exactly they were seeing. Some people pointed and stared in wonder, while others ran in fear.  
Aether flapped his arms hard and strong as many of the tables flipped over and flew into the buildings. The wind was so strong that the shoppers and restaurant goers on the street were thrown far backwards with great force that flung into the windows of the local shops. Some of the cars on the roads swerved and ran into each other as the Overboard hovered low to street level. Aether landed on the ground and ran on his legs as he tossed one of his daggers towards the overboard. The dagger narrowly missed the Overboard and slammed into the front end of a car, going in so far that it stopped dead inside of the engine.

Odd turned the Overboard to the left and flew towards a parking lot of the local retail store. Aether jumped into the air and flew towards the Overboard. Aether's beak opened up as the crimson red stream fired out of his mouth. The blast landed right in front of the Overboard, causing it to change course and head straight towards the shopping center. Odd cringed at the site knowing what was about to happen. Sissi peered over his shoulder and freaked out at the site.

"I TOLD YOU WE WERE GONNA DIE!" Sissi screamed at the top of her lungs as the Overboard flew into the glass windows of the store.  
Odd veered the Overboard to the left, avoiding the checkout counters and flying straight into the clothing counter. Clothing racks and displays flew into the air as Odd covered and flung his arms out in a attempt to cover his face and protect Sissi as well.

The Overboard flew out of the other end of the store thorough one of the side windows. A load of clothing flew off the kids as Odd finally cleared his vision. He moved out all of the clothing off him as he realized he had a bra on his shoulder. Immediately he tossed it off and stopped the Overboard.

"You OK Sissi?" Odd asked.  
Odd didn't hear a single thing from her. He turned around and saw to his surprise that she was gone. Odd looked around nervously, looking for some sign, any signal that Sissi was alive. Odd suddenly heard a loud scream from just above him. Odd looked up in time to see Aether flying high up into the air with Sissi in its claws. Sissi screamed for her life as she wiggled and struggled in Aether's hands.

"What's wrong, insect? Can't fly?" Aether laughed.  
Sissi screamed at the top of her lungs as Odd raced behind them trying to catch up.

"Come on...COME ON!" Odd hurried his vehicle as he flew faster.

Aether flew up high above the city's tallest skyscraper, through a set of clouds, and just high enough so Sissi could still breathe. Aether looked down and watched as Odd flew up high enough to meet him. Odd immediately held out both arms as they glowed with fresh ammunition.

"Let her go now, Aether!" Odd yelled.

"...Of course," Aether chuckled.  
Aether's claws released Sissi as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Sissi fell like a rock from the sky, screaming and tumbling fast as she watched the world spin around her. She flew her arms out in a attempt to grab something. Tears filled in Sissi's eyes as she knew the end was coming.  
She couldn't believe this was happening. She still wanted to do so much. Get married, have kids, and make her father proud of her…

Suddenly Sissi felt a clawed hand grab her as she suddenly stopped in midair. Sissi looked up and saw Odd reaching out to her. Sissi breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her hero.

"I got you Sissi! I got you!" Odd gasped.  
Sissi looked up to see Aether falling as well. Odd shot up Aether before he flew down and caught her. He helped her up to the top of the Overboard. Sissi whimpered at what had happened.

"Are you OK, Sissi?" Odd asked as Sissi began to calm down. She suddenly leaned forward and hugged Odd tightly, she then kissed him on the lips quickly as a sign of gratitude.

"Can we go down now?" Sissi asked.  
Odd nodded. He turned his face so that Sissi couldn't see him blushing deeply. Sissi wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head onto his back as they sped off towards the factory.

Aether stopped dead in air and flapped his wings. He watched them fly away from him. Why was he having so much trouble? Why was this so hard for him? They were just land walkers, inferior land animals...  
"Dirty little creations! No one opposes A GOD!" Aether screamed loudly in anger as he gave chase to them.  
He knew in the back of his mind that he would kill them. He would prove himself the superior species.

Ulrich ran through the forest sector at lightning speeds. He tried harder then he had ever had to catch up to the Kidnapper. Up ahead a young woman in green and black armor with a reptilian like face zipped in and out of the virtual trees; the young Asian teen that was his girlfriend screamed in fear as she called out to him. Ulrich knew that they weren't too far from the edge of the sector.  
Why was this happening? Why did this A.I. want to replace Yumi? This whole thing was just too hard to swallow. And what about Puck back at the tower? What was happening with him? Could he even be trusted?

Ulrich ran past the final row of trees and made it to the edge of the forest sector. Ulrich stopped dead in his tracks. The site he saw froze him to the bone. Chaos stood at the very edge of the sector, in her hand was a wrapped up, struggling Yumi. Yumi grunted and moaned as she attempted to free herself from the green chains that bound her. She looked up at Ulrich who had a look of fear on his face. She called out to him again…

"Hey, sexy boy!" Chaos said.

"What do you want?" Ulrich demanded.

"I want you... I want you mind, body and soul... and I want to be the only woman in your life... not this Chinese panda."

"Hey you, crazy freak! I'm Japanese, not Chinese," Yumi grunted.

"Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, TIME TO DIE!" Chaos said as she released Yumi.  
Yumi screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched the world around her disappear. The last image she saw was Ulrich running towards the edge, the look of fear and dread on his face.  
Yumi realized this was it. Everything was over, she wouldn't graduate, get married, raise kids. This was the end of her life... in the back of her mind she cried knowing she would never see her family, friends, or Ulrich again.

"YUMI!" Ulrich shouted as he jumped for her. But he was too late.  
The last image he saw was Yumi falling towards the digital sea before Chaos kicked him back. Ulrich flew a few feet until he landed on his back. He heard a sudden thumping noise from below him, the same sound the digital sea made when some one fell into its fake water. Ulrich laid there, broken. He lost her... he lost Yumi.

Ulrich suddenly felt a small amount of weight on his chest, he opened his eyes to see Chaos sitting on top of him, her cold reptilian face gleamed with the knowledge that she now had Ulrich all to herself.

"Isn't it beautiful, Ulrich?" Chaos asked.. "We are alone... and she is dead... Death is beautiful, but what is more beautiful was the look on her face… fear, sadness and depression... and I bet you two would of made great children too."

Ulrich's face went from depression to instant anger. A large fire began to grow inside him as he felt the rage build up inside him. Ulrich balled up his fist and hit Chaos as hard as he could. His blow landed square in her cheek. Chaos grunted in surprise as she landed on her feet and quickly drew her blades.

"You are gonna die... I don't care what happens to me or the rest of the world. I'm gonna kill you here and now. There has only been one person in my whole life who cared for me... not my parents or anyone. That person was Yumi and I'm gonna make you regret the day you were born!" Ulrich said as he drew both of his swords.

"Oh, foreplay already… we're gonna get along just fine" Chaos teased.

Ulrich jumped into the air and tossed one of his swords like a spear at the monster. Chaos bent her back in a way that would of broken a normal man's back. As she pulled herself back up she threw one of her chains like a spear as well. Ulrich blocked the blow and rolled on the ground. He pounced from the ground like a panther and jabbed towards Chaos.  
Chaos wrapped one of her chains around Ulrich's sword and pulled it away. Ulrich jumped into the air and straight kicked Chaos square in the jaw. Chaos fell to the ground but only to be met with Ulrich's hand on her throat. He ran on the ground while holding the monster woman's throat, dragging her on the ground. Ulrich suddenly tossed her into the air as he grabbed his nearby sword.  
As Chaos fell to the ground Ulrich lunged at her with his single sword. Chaos spun in midair, her dagger chains flinging to block Ulrich's blow. Ulrich sliced past the chains and jabbed her in the side. Chaos grunted in pain as Ulrich jumped off a tree nearby and flew towards her, preparing for a second strike.  
This time though Chaos blocked the attack and head butted Ulrich in midair; Ulrich lost his balance and fell to the ground, his only sword landing a few feet from him. Chaos ran over and jumped on top of Ulrich once more. She wrapped her legs around Ulrich and began to squeeze. Ulrich tried his best to get Chaos to release him, but she was squeezing to tight, he felt as if he was being crushed.

"How did you know I liked it rough?" Chaos gave Ulrich a playful smile.

Ulrich could feel himself getting light headed, a clear sign he was about to lose. He tried his best to hang on, but his life points continued to drain fast as Chaos continued to squeeze harder.  
Desprate thoughts raced through his mind. He couldn't do it. He couldn't even avenge Yumi... He had failed. His father was right... he was a failure.

Suddenly, a loud flapping noise came from the edge of the sector. It was so loud it made Chaos release Ulrich who grunted as he was released from the monster's grasp. Chaos walked over to the edge, only to find a young pink looking angel holding Yumi in her arms.

It was Aelita.

Aelita rose from the edge of the sector with Yumi in tow. She landed on the edge of the sector and slowly placed Yumi on the ground. Aelita looked up with anger in her face as she faced the stunned monster girl.

"The chosen one?" Chaos asked.

"Leave my friends alone. Leave my family alone!" Aelita demanded as she held out her right hand and fired a beam of pink energy at Chaos.  
Chaos screamed in pain as the orb hit her square in the thigh. Aelita flew towards Chaos, her fist glowing pink as she punched Chaos in the waist. She then flew up suddenly in the air so that her foot caught Chaos in the chin. Chaos flew two feet before Aelita grabbed her by the hair. Aelita twirled her around and flung her hard.  
The Titan flew through 2 trees before coming to a halt. Chaos sat up and screeched in anger. She then looked over towards Ulrich who was slowly making his way towards Yumi, who was barely able to sit up.

"If I can't have Ulrich, then no one will!" Chaos screamed as she jumped towards the samurai teen.  
Aelita flew between her and the others. Her fist glowed pink once more as she grabbed Chaos's chain. She tugged it hard, bringing Chaos in her direction. Aelita struck Chaos with her pink fist, shattering her shoulder to the point it disintegrated.

Chaos landed on the ground screaming in pain as she held her shoulder.

"This is not over yet... your time will come," Chaos hissed as she got up and ran off away from the trio.  
Aelita slowly lowered her arms as Ulrich sat up and crawled over to Yumi. The young Asian girl sat up and looked around her before she noticed Ulrich attempting to reach her. Yumi immediately stood up and ran over to him. The look of relief on his face told the whole story. He had both the look of stress and relief in his eyes as he realized she was safe.

"I thought I lost you," Ulrich said.

"You almost did... Until an angel saved me," Yumi smiled as she glanced up at Aelita.

"It was nothing... really. I mean, how many times have you guys saved me?" Aelita asked.

Ulrich slowly stood up. His legs felt like jello. Ulrich took a minute to find his bearings and eventually began to walk a little.

"How many life points do I have left, Jer?" Ulrich asked.

"Uh...2," Jeremie said over the intercom.

"Wow... you're almost out, aren't you?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah... I need to get to a tower," Ulrich said as the Overbike and Overboard virtualized. Ulrich mounted up on his bike as Yumi jumped onto her sled.

"Wow, that looks awesome Yumi. When I saw Jeremy's drawing of it, I didn't think it would look as sleek as it does now," Aelita said.

"Its my own little speed demon," Yumi said as she revved it up.  
Aelita waved her hand over her pink star bracelet. Bright pink wings sprouted from her back as she jumped into the air. The trio of teens sped off in the direction Chaos ran to, while in the distance small flashes and faint noises came from dense forest.

The Black Mustang drove down the ruined streets of Amines. The street was littered with shattered glass and debris from the apparent aerial duel between the bird monster and the purple cat boy. Police and emergency personnel worked diligently in attempt to help any of the injured and tame the few small fires that had broken out.

"So this is what Schaffer was warning us about? Monster things?" Jessica asked.

"Hell, I don't know… Jesus, we find Schaffer's daughter and all hell breaks loose," Travis said as he pulled out his Beretta m9 and loaded a fresh magazine in to the handle.

"We got any bigger weapons than these?" Travis asked.

"No customs wouldn't let us bring the MP5 or anything," George said.

"So is this what Frank wanted us to see? Is this what we have been searching for all this time?" Jessica asked.

There was a small moment of silence in the car as a pair of shadows flew over the car. Travis stuck his head out the window to see a purple flying surf board, complete with 2 teens riding on top of it, followed by a large silver, flying bird like man screaming like a bat out of hell as it chased after them.

"Tell you what... You can ask them after we meet with them... if we can catch them," Travis said as he pulled his head back into the car.

"Are these like aliens? Or superheroes? Or monsters?" Jessica said.

"I don't know... I don't think any of us knows..." George said as he turned off onto the turn pike and onto the interstate. Many of the motorists were pulled over onto the side staring at the amazing site they were seeing.

"Where are the police at?" George asked.

"They don't have a large police force, I think most of them are tied up with the school and the little trail of destruction left from the ace combat deal," Jessica said.

The Black Mustang drove at high speed's to keep up with the midair chase. It swerved in between cars and traffic as the car came within inches of the chase.

"I see the Delmas girl... and that purple cat... girl." George said.

"Uh… actually I think that's a boy." Jessica corrected him.

"Then what is up with his hair?" George asked.

"IS THAT REALLY IMPORTANT? CAN WE FOLLOW THE DAMN KIDS?" Travis shouted as the Mustang drove past a slow moving Peugeot.

Odd glanced down over his shoulder and noticed the black car chasing after them. It had followed them since the school. He looked behind his shoulder and saw Aether still hot on his trail.

"Man I can't shake him," Odd said out loud.

"Odd, where are we going?" Sissi asked as the wind ruffled her hair around her head.

"Do you know that old factory by the river? on the other end of town near the ocean?" Odd asked.

"That run down place?" Sissi asked.

"Yeah... that's where the others are, they can help us," Odd said.

"OK, but what about him?"

"As soon as I get you some place safe I'll take care of him. I wont let him hurt you," Odd said.

Sissi blushed a little at the sound of the words Odd spoke. She smiled a little as Aether screamed loudly.

"There it is!" Odd said as he pointed towards the factory, glistening as the sun set directly behind it.

Puck ran as fast as he could; he held his staff as tight as possible as he weaved in and out of the tree line as the large hulking creature charged after him. He slammed his feet into the ground as he slammed into a virtual tree, shattering it into splinters.

Puck jumped into the air and spun around in midair; he fired a bolt of lightning at the Goliath like monster. The bolt hit Atlas dead in the arm, unaffectedly the charging beast.

"I'm gonna ring your scrawny puny little neck and stomp on your pathetic little body, freak!" Atlas hollered.

"Why so hostile? All I did was try to give you a wedgie," Puck joked as he used his staff to create a wall to try and block the advancing Atlas.  
Atlas punched through the wall, sending debris and rubble all over the place. One piece caused Puck to trip and fall onto the ground hard. Puck flipped over to see Atlas raise his foot just above Puck's head.

"Pop goes the weasel!" Atlas said as he slammed his foot onto Puck's head. Dirt flew from Puck's location as Atlas growled in victory. Atlas glanced down to see Puck was still alive, and his foot was just off to his left of Pucks head. Atlas slammed his foot down a second time, only to notice Puck did move again. Atlas continued to try and stomp on Puck's head. Yet every time Atlas tired to hit his opponent, he would move again.

Suddenly a pair of arms jumped onto the back of Atlas as a long gold and silver bar ran across his neck. Atlas freaked out as he attempted to try and grab the enemy behind him. Atlas glanced down to see Puck next to his feet shimmer and disappear. Atlas suddenly felt a large amount of weight hit his back. He lost his balance and finally fell onto his back. Atlas grunted as a large amount of dirt and debris fly into the air. Atlas glanced to his left to see a stone covered Mister Puck standing next to him and smiling.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I forget to tell you that I can not only make myself into stone with the help of my staff, but that I can also make a duplicate version of myself?" Puck said as the rock like material disappeared off his body. "Have a safe trip!"

Atlas slammed his fists into the ground. The force from the impact of his fist caused him to rise up onto his feet and stare down at the small short elf like boy.

"No really... you're dead," Atlas said as he pulled out a large silver cannon from behind his back. The cannon was almost the same size as Puck himself. It was a shiny silver metal with small accents of black on its sides. The barrel hummed and snapped as red energy coursed on its tip.

"Wait, why do you need a cannon? You have like super strength," Puck said.

"Because if I can't reach you..." Atlas said as he pointed the cannon at Puck.

"Oh crap" Puck said as he turned to run.

"Shoot them!" Atlas said as a long red laser fired out of the cannon.  
The laser hit the ground next to Puck, sending the small boy flying several feet into a nearby tree. Puck grunted loudly as he slid down the virtual trunk.

"Hey uh... uh... Justin" Puck said.

"Its Jeremy...don't worry, reinforcements are on the way," Jeremy said.

Puck charged his wand; blue energy built up on the tip as he glanced around the tree to see that Atlas had disappeared. Puck slowly looked around for Atlas.  
Puck pointed his wand out in front of him as he continued to pan around for any sign of a large armored beast.

Puck suddenly heard another energy beam charge up. Puck looked around for any sign of where the noise was coming from. The noise was loud and sounded close. Puck suddenly realized the noise was from behind him. He spun around in time to see Atlas aim the gun at him; the cannon fired another shot. Puck quickly fired a stream of blue liquid from his wand, which hit the energy from Atlas's cannon. The blue stream hit the laser shot, freezing it into a blue ball of ice. But the ball of ice continued to travel towards Puck. The elf jumped into the air and watched the frozen ball slide directly under him.

Puck landed on his back only to feel a large boot hit him square in the side. He flew several feet in the air; he landed on the ground and skidded into a stump, causing him to wince from the impact.

Puck could barely sit up. He knew he was low on life points and that another hit from Atlas would finish him off. Puck tried to sit up as best as he could. But he didn't have to look far, Atlas stood right over him. He placed his foot square on Pucks neck as he pointed his cannon straight at him.

"No more tricks, no more jokes. Just straight death," Atlas said as the cannon charged up.

Puck tried his best to wiggle free, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape from the hard pressure from Atlas's foot.

A loud whirling noise zipped through the forest. It echoed throughout the entire sector. Atlas glanced around for any sign of the source of the noise. Atlas glanced to his left to see a white circular object fly right towards him. The blade sliced straight through Atlas's cannon at the tip of the barrel. Atlas glanced over to see 2 young teenage girls glaring straight at the giant.

"So that's him?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah... that's him... or it... or...Well, you know what I mean," Yumi said.

Atlas lifted his foot off of Puck and took a defensive posture towards the girls.

"So who is next?" Atlas grunted.

"ME!" a voice said from behind him.  
The girls stepped aside as Ulrich zoomed by them one the Overbike. The vehicle flew at high speeds as Ulrich jumped off it. Atlas growled in surprise as the Overbike plowed right into him and shattered into an explosion of virtual pixels.  
Atlas flew backwards and landed on his feet as he quickly recovered from the impact. Atlas slowly stood up and glared down at the 4 warriors who stood in front of him.

"Nice to see you again, Aelita," Puck said with a smile.

"Do I really know you?" Aelita asked.

"You haven't recovered all of your memories yet... But don't worry, you eventually will," Puck said.

"GUYS, SHUT UP! THE GIANT!" Yumi tried to say until she was cut off by a charging running giant monster as he plowed through the group.  
Atlas grabbed Aelita by the waist as he jumped into the air. He flew a few feet in the air and threw Aelita towards the ground. The pinkette tumbled a little until wings sprouted from her back. Aelita stopped dead in midair as she aimed at Atlas and fired several energy orbs at the hulk. Almost every shot missed as Atlas landed dead behind them.

"Guys, we got a problem!" Jeremy said over the loud speaker. "Chaos is about to enter a tower... if she does, she will go straight to Earth. And William is losing to Tartarus...  
If you don't stop those 3, then we will truly lose- Wait!" Jeremy said as a sudden new series of code appeared on his screen.  
The codes ran almost the same as the Scipio code but were also linked to a activated tower in the ice sector. Jeremy's skin suddenly froze as he realized what exactly was going on.

"OH NO!" Jeremy panicked.

"Whats going on, Jeremy?" Yumi asked.

"I think I found exactly what Xervix is planing. He is gonna send his Titans to Aelita's old house. He can't send them here because we can stop them... He is gonna give himself a wide advantage."

"You mean… my house in America?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah... Aether must have been a test subject. You guys have to shut down that tower. If Xervix succeeds, he will be in a position were we can't stop him."

"It's do or die, then," Ulrich said.

The 4 warriors regrouped and formed a large circle around Atlas as they stood ready to fight a monster that showed no sign of being defeated.

William jumped to his left as Tartarus slashed at him with his own blade. William was literally on the defense as Tartarus commanded both blades. William was trying to hold his own as Tartarus kept charging and attacking. William was low on life points and weaponless. Yet he had no other choice, he had to stop Tartarus here and now.

"Are you ready to stop fighting your destiny?" Tartarus asked.

Tartarus disappeared into a puff of black smoke as he flew towards William. The teenager jumped to his left as Tartarus reappeared and kicked him in the chest. William fell to his side as black smoke wrapped around his body, so he couldn't move at all. All he could do was wiggle and struggle in the smoky chains.

Tartarus walked up to William. William was raised a few inches in the air as Tatarus stabbed both swords into the ground.

"So... here we are" Tartarus said. "It's been just one fun time, hasn't it? You have been sitting there enjoying life, while I'm stuck in here, in this prison. Its really quite a joy to me right now... because now I can truly return to the world I love."

"Why are you doing this? Why join sides with Xervix?" William asked.

"Because... I was enjoying the world outside and you and your friends shunned me away from that world. I was left to rot, nothing more but a useless doll left in the attic. And then Xervix found me and gave me a purpose... and now I will finally have a purpose again!" Tatarus said as he clenched his right fist.

"But… do you really trust him? How do you know he won't treat you any better then how we did?" William provoked the Titan.

"Because I will join with you and merge with your mind. The same way Xana did with you before he died," Tartarus said.

"Wh- What?"

"Why should you have everything and enjoy living while I am nothing more then a prisoner to this empty graveyard? I have nothing.  
On the outside I had friends. I enjoyed the real world, and yet when I even fought for you, for them, I was still looked upon as nothing more then a worthless program. Well, not anymore, soon I will enjoy that world once more... and you will be the prisoner," Tartarus said as he grabbed William by the throat.

Tartarus picked up William's sword and pointed it square at William's throat. William's eyes grew wide as he realized he was about to lose and the others would soon be outnumbered.

"We will be reborn," Tartarus said.  
As the Titan pulled back his sword, William suddenly thought of a idea. He disappeared into a puff of white smoke, which swirled around the Titan.  
Tartarus swung and stabbed wildly at the smoke, unable to hit anything but the virtual air. The white smoke suddenly focused around Taratarus's head as William reformed and grabbed Tartarus by the head. William then swung down via Taratarus's shoulders and planted both of his feet into his virtual doppelgangers chest. The impact hit Tatarus so hard that he dropped William's sword.  
William ran over and grabbed his sword. Tatarus recovered from William's hit and charged towards the white warrior. William noticed Taratarus's charge and also ran towards him. Both came within breathing distance of each other. William aimed for Taratarus's waist as Tartarus drew his twisted black sword behind his head. Both warriors sliced at each other at the same time as they ran past each other. William stopped a few feet behind Tartarus as the Titan stopped directly where he attacked.

Both stood in one place for a few seconds, waiting to see what the other would either do or say.

"We could of worked all of this out. You could have had that life back," William said.

"Please. No one would let a creature like me live among them... I would be a freak and treated no different then I am now," Tartarus said. "I only regret that you won't be there... when the world will be one."

William dropped his sword as a white line shot through his waist...  
He had lost.

"We will meet again... in your world," Tartarus said as William disappeared into a cluster of virtual pixels.  
Tartarus slowly entered the tower and raised up to the upper level of the tower. He arrived on the central platform as the holoterminal appeared in front of him.

"Are you prepared?" Xervix said over the intercom.

"I am...Will I arrive in France or America like we planned?" Tartarus asked.

"America... I have hacked into the supercomputer there in Waldo Schaffer's old house. The scanners there are still in working condition. Once we all arrive, with the exception of Aether who if the arrogant fool survives his so called fight on Earth, will have to travel across the Atlantic. Once The System is activated, we will snatch it and the children and rule this world."

The screen suddenly fluttered as the words CODE EARTH appeared on the screen. Tartarus then disappeared as pixels building his virtual body dissolved.

At the same time, Chaos entered a tower in the forest sector. Her arm reformed upon entering the tower as she elevated to the upper platform. Chaos placed her hand on holopanel. The panel read CODE EARTH on its screen as Chaos also disappear into a cluster of pixels.

Atlas slammed his fist into the ground. The impact from his fist caused a shock wave to travel towards his enemies. Ulrich dodged to the left as Yumi jumped in midair. She rotated around and tossed one of her fans. The fan zipped through the air and struck Atlas in the helmet, yet had no effect.

Aelita flew down low to the ground, she held out her hands and fired a volley of energy orbs at Atlas. Atlas let the orbs hit him as he merely walked through them. Atlas closed in on Aelita as she flew straight into the air. Atlas reached out and grabbed her, his entire hand wrapping around Aelita.

"How can something so puny be so powerful?" Atlas joked.

Aelita could barely wiggle her hands free. Instead she decided to develop her energy fields. The energy burned Atlas's hands, causing him to drop the elfin princess. Aelita landed in time to have a large boot fly straight into her stomach. Aelita offed in pain as she flew backwards towards the edge of the sector. Aelita flapped her wings widely as she tried to slow herself down from impacting harder. Aelita suddenly felt her body hit a soft yet sticky substance. Aelita bounced up and down a little as she realized she was sitting on a large spider web like structure.

"You OK?" Puck asked as the web dissolved.

"Yeah, thanks... So, what are you?" Aelita asked.

"We can talk later, right now DUCK!" Puck shouted as a large virtual log flew towards Aelita.  
Aelita's belly flopped to the ground as the log passed only a few inches from her head. Puck then ran towards Atlas and fired a stream of red liquid from his staff. The liquid coated Atlas's arm. Steam and heat rose from the liquid, causing Atlas to grunt loudly in pain. Atlas then shook the liquid off as Ulrich jumped onto Atlas's back. Ulrich took out his sword and stabbed Atlas in the back. The sword however bounced off Atlas's thick plated armor. Atlas tried his best to shake off Ulrich, who continued to hack and slash at the armor as Yumi tossed a second fan at Atlas. The fan curved down towards Atlas's feet. The fan sliced into Atlas's knee, causing Atlas to drop to one of his knees.

"Jeremy! How many life points does this guy have?" Ulrich asked.

"He's only lost... two," Jeremy replied reluctantly.

"WHAT!" Ulrich said as Atlas finally grabbed hold of Ulrich. He tossed Ulrich into the air and punched him hard, hard enough that Ulrich flew into Yumi.

"What does it take to put this guy down?" Yumi asked. "Jeremy, how is Odd and William doing?"

"William lost. Tartarus and Chaos left the computer," Jeremy said.

"Did you tack their devirtualization signal?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, I did… .I was right, they went to America," Jeremy said.

"What about Odd?" Aelita asked.

"He, uh... is fighting Aether just outside the factory...with Sissi"

"WHAT?" all three said in unison.

Suddenly a crimson beam hit Yumi in the waist. The force of the beam was enough to send Yumi flying through the air. Yumi suddenly saw pixels fly from her body as she realized what exactly was happening... she had been devirtualized. Yumi's body disappeared as the last pixel bounced off the ground.

"YUMI!" Ulrich shouted as he watched the body of his girlfriend vanish.

Ulrich turned in time to block a second shot from Atlas's cannon.

"OK guys... let's take Goliath down." Puck said.  
Ulrich and Aelita nodded as Ulrich split into 3 different forms. The three Ulrichs darted towards Atlas. One ran to Atlas's side, while the other jumped into the air and landed on the Goliath's shoulders. Aelita jumped into the air with her pink glowing wings. She flew high above the monsters field of range. Puck broke his staff into two pieces and twirled them around like a pair of swords.  
Puck ran towards Atlas and waved his left hand towards the giant. A beam of blue liquid flew straight towards the monsters feet. The third Ulrich landed on Atlas's arm. Stabbing his sword into the Giants arm, Ulrich loosened the cannon. The cannon fell to the ground as Aelita fired a orb at it. The cannon exploded as Aelita fired a second shot at Atlas. Atlas grabbed one of the Ulrich copies and flung it towards Puck. The virtual copy hit Puck in the head as Puck fell on his back. Aelita glanced over at Puck as the copy of Ulrich disappeared. Puck barely stood up as he noticed his body was fluctuating. He looked as if he was a TV program trying to faze out of contrast.

"Puck...You are extremely low on life points... you need to get to a tower," Jeremy said over the intercom.

"No, I'm good... Just got hit by a dummy."

"Puck, don't try it... go to a tower we got this," Aelita said

Puck hesitantly nodded as he ran off in the direction of the nearest tower. Aelita turned to see Atlas fall to one of his knees as the Ulrich behind him cut his calf. Atlas lowered his head towards the ground. The second Ulrich ran up and dropped kick the giant in the head. Aelita backed up a little and opened her wings fully.  
Aelita flew towards Atlas, gaining speed as she went. Her hands glowed pink as her eyes mimicked her hands. Aelita held out her hands, balling her fists. Aelita came within inches of the battle. Both Ulrichs glanced up to see a pink speeding bullet coming towards them.  
Both Ulrichs jumped out of the way as the pink bullet slammed into Atlas's chest, bouncing off it with incredible speed. The impact ruptured the armor plating. The plating cracked as pieces of it fell off to the ground.

Aelita landed on the ground. As she landed on her feet she fell on her stomach. She could hear Jeremy over the intercom but was unable to move from the amount of force and energy she placed in that attack. She tried her best to sit up, only to fall on her back again. A brown haired boy bent over her and helped ease her back up.

"You did it, 'Lita...You stopped that thing," Ulrich said.

"Yeah but it almost killed me in doing so," Aelita said as she slowly stood up, leaning her weight onto her friends shoulder.

"At least that's one Titan not going to earth," The second Ulrich said as it fused with the Ulrich holding Aelita.

Suddenly Atlas grunted as he slowly stood up on his own legs. The monster was holding its chest as it growled loudly.

"Doesn't anything kill this thing?" Ulrich asked.

Suddenly a black beam hit Ulrich in the back. Devitalizing the warrior on contact. Aelita turned instantly to see the form of her current enemy. The one who had been haunting her for weeks.

"Xervix…" Aelita grunted

"Why hello, my instrument of destruction!" Xervix greeted.

"Forgive me master... I failed," Atlas said on his knees.

"Actually you did well. Now head to the tower. All that is needed is for you to enter and we will be ready for the attack," Xervix said.  
Atlas grunted in acknowledgment as he ran off away from the pair. Aelita tried to raise her hand to form a energy field, but she couldn't form the field properly.

"So, so, so… Are you feeling tired?" Xervix said as a army of blocks encircled around them.

"Why...WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" Aelita shouted as she hunched over a little.

"Because humanity will not live to see the next decade at this rate. I'm only wanting one thing, and one thing only. And that is to guide mankind on the right course... MY course!" Xervix said as he drug his long nail along the body of the nearest block. "And you and your dear boyfriend are a mere catalyst. My very own atom bomb."

"I will stop you... I won't let you harm anyone." Aelita said as she glared at Xervix.

"Oh please, my tiny little jewel. How can you protect the world when you can,t even protect yourself?" Xervix said as he raised his hand.

"It would be useless to try and capture you here on Lyoko... the only way for me to get a hold of you is on Earth... once I acquire the system though be advised... I will be coming for you, and I will have my revenge!"

Xervix lowered his hand as the blocks began firing. Aelita tried her best to block most of the shots as her fists glowed. But after a few moments the glow in her fists disappeared as the lasers finally began to find their marks. Aelita yipped in pain as she collapsed to the ground. After she fell the lasers stopped. Aelita heard a foot land right next to her; she glanced up to see Xervix with his scythe standing over her.

"Revenge is Mine" Xervix said as he pulled the scythe back.  
But before he could strike, Aelita disappeared in a cluster of virtual pixels. Aelita watched as Lyoko faded into darkness and was replaced with the walls of the scanner. The scanner's doors opened to reveal a young blond teen gasping and shaking from being so nervous.

Aelita tried to step out, only to fall. Before she could hit the ground she felt the soft gentle touch of Jeremy's hands catch her. She slowly looked up to see him holding her.

"I told you I would come back," Aelita said as William walked over and helped Jeremy hoist her out of the scanner. William handed her a bottle of water as she glanced around the room.

"Where is Ulrich and Yumi?" Aelita asked.

"In the lab... We lost... Xervix, Chaos, Atlas, Tartarus and Aether left the computer... they're here on Earth." Jeremy said.

"We couldn't even put a dent in them this time... why?" William asked.

"I have to go back" Aelita said. Jeremy and William both starred at her in disbelief.

"I have to stop him!" she explained.

"You can't. You have to wait 24 hours before going back to Lyoko. It drains you too much." Jeremy said.

"Remember how Odd was out for a week from it?"

"I don't care, I... I gotta go back. He will come for you... I cant lose you Jeremy, he will come for you," Aelita said.

"We will stop him. We stopped Xana, we will stop him," Jeremy assured her.

"It's no use Jeremy. We lost. Earth is lost...We lost."

"We're not dead yet... there is still one of us fighting," William said.

"Who?" Aelita asked.

Odd flew the Overboard into the back lot of the Factory. Sissi was still clutching for dear life as the board drifted behind a pair of rusty old dumpsters. Sissi poked her head around Odd, glancing into the freshly new night sky. She caught a glimmer of light that at first she thought was a shooting star, until the star landed on the ground. Aether spread his silver wings and tucked them under his arms. He glanced back and forth for any sign of his victims.

"Come out… come out wherever you are!" Aether said as he walked slowly towards the center of the lot.

"This is where you get off," Odd told Sissi, who glanced at him in confusion.

"What are you gonna do?" Sissi asked.

"Gonna show the bird man why cat men are better," Odd said as Sissi got off the board.  
Sissi quickly jumped up and kissed Odd on the cheek.

"For both luck and for helping me... Be careful," Sissi said as she blushed lightly.  
Odd rubbed his cheek where the young teen had recently planted her lips. Odd smiled a little as he revved up his Overboard.  
Aether looked up and walked backwards to see Odd hiding behind the pair of dumpsters. Odd flew at lightning speeds towards Aether. He saw Aether open his beak, a crimson red glow appeared in his mouth as Odd knew what was about to happen. Odd leapt off the board as a red beam of energy struck it, causing it to explode and fizzle out.  
Odd then leapt over Aether's head and fired a pair of Arrows at him. The arrows missed their targets as Odd landed behind the bird. Aether turned in anger to see Odd on all fours looking at him with his head cocked to his left.

"PARASITE!" Aether yelled as he flew into Odd, tackling the purple cat. Aether pinned Odd to the ground, holding down his arms as he opened his mouth, preparing to fire.

Odd tried his best to wrestle his way from under Aether;s hold. Odd tried to kick Aether off him, but there monster was to heavy for him.

Suddenly a lead pipe nailed Aether across the face, causing him to loose his charge and release Odd. The red beam cut into the concrete, sending chunks of it into the air. Sissi began pummeling Aether with the lead pipe over and over again.

"Oh, you damn asshole!" Sissi shouted.  
As the pipe came down for a 8th blow, a clawed, twisted hand caught it. Aether slowly stood up and took the pipe away from Sissi. He chuckled as he bent the pipe into a pretzel. He then grabbed Sissi by the throat and began to squeeze. Sissi pounded her fist on Aethers arm as the Bird man continued to chuckle.

"Ah come on, little rodent... there is not a thing you can do to stop me," Aether said.

Sissi suddenly poked Aether in the eyes as the monster let out a yipe, dropping Sissi on the ground. Odd suddenly jumped into the air and planted a right fist into the monster's face. Aether stumbled a little as he pulled out his daggers. He twirled and whipped around his daggers as Odd stood in front of Sissi. Aether showed off his skills with the daggers for a while. As he finished, Odd fired an Arrow at Aether.  
Aether reeled from the shot. Odd ran towards Aether and jumped into the air, preparing to land a second fist to Aether's face. Aether backhanded the young teen, causing him to fly into a wall. Odd recovered from the hit and wall kicked towards Aether. He jumped into the air and jumped onto Aether's face. Odd punched and punched over and over until Aether fell onto a dumpster. The dumpster flattened like a pancake under the weight of the fighters.

Aether kicked Odd off him as he flipped around, trying to get back up. Odd fired a pair of arrows into Aether's chest. Aether screamed in pain from the impact as his wings forced him back onto his feet. Aether turned to see Odd jump off the wall again and fly straight towards him.  
Aether quickly kicked Odd with his feet, sending the blonde teen into the wall; the force was so powerful that Odd found his back stuck in the wall. Odd began to feel the signs of devirtualization; he was running out of time.  
Aether fully recovered from the ambush as he walked over and pulled out one of his daggers.

"New packaging, same product, loser," Aether said as he grabbed Odd by the neck.

Sissi kicked Aether in the back as she tried valiantly to save Odd.

"You leave him alone!" She shouted.

Aether glanced down and noticed the small girl standing just short of his waist.

"Oh dear rodent... is this your boyfriend?" Aether joked.

Sissi blushed a little but did not stop attempting to free Odd. Sissi finally stepped back and kicked Aether square in the crotch. Sissi was shocked to see that it had literally no effect on Aether.

"Oh you wanna try to hurt me?" Aether joked as he squatted to Sissi's height.

"Go on... right there, try your hardest," Aether said as he tilted his face so that the left side of his face was exposed. Suddenly a laser Arrow struck Aether in the side of his face, sending the bird man flying backwards onto the black pavement.

Odd jumped down and patted Sissi on the shoulder.

"Thanks a lot, Sissi," Odd said, looking up at her.

Odd suddenly ran past her and tackled Aether in the side. Odd clawed at Aether with his virtual claws. Aether screamed in pain as he stabbed at Odd with his dagger. Odd ducked as a crimson beam cut the ground in front of him.

"Jeremy, you hear me?" Odd asked.

"Jeremy is with Aelita. But I hear you loud and clear," Yumi responded. "Why did you bring Sissi to the factory?"

"Because Aether was gonna try and kill her... I couldn't just leave her there," Odd said.

"OK, we will deal with it later. You got one arrow left. My advice, save it for when the time is right," Yumi said.

"I know just what to do with it," Odd replied as Aether spread his wings.

"TIME TO DIE!" Aether shouted as he charged towards Odd.  
Odd jumped into the air and landed on Aether's back. Aether screamed as Odd dug his claws into his back. Aether flipped and tumbled through the air as he tried to lose Odd. Aether rose straight into the air as he struggled to free himself. Odd finally saw a opening and took it. He aimed at the back of Aether's head and fired.  
The arrow dented Aether's helmet as he screamed loudly. Odd jumped off as Aether flew into a telephone pole, sparks and debris flew as the bird man landed. The telephone poles sparked and screeched as if lightning had struck them. Sissi gawked in fear as she watched the multi colored sparks fly into the night sky.

Odd slowly emerged from the shower of sparks and smoke. His tail twitched a little as he walked over towards Sissi.

"Man... I am one bad ass," Odd thought as he walked over to Sissi.

"Are you OK?" Sissi asked as she ran up and hugged Odd. Odd blushed from the fact that Sissi was actually hugging him.

"OK...You young man have a lot of explaining to do. First off what was that? And what are you wearing?" Sissi said.

Suddenly a second silhouette emerged from the smoke. Aether spread his wings as the smoke cleared from the area, revealing the monster before them. Odd pulled Sissi behind him as he prepared to take on Aether for round 2.

"You win this round, freak!" Aether said.

Aether jumped into the air and flew away from the factory. Every once in a while he lost a little altitude due to his injuries. Odd sighed a breath of relief as he turned to Sissi.  
Sissi stared at Odd as she finally got a good look at what Odd looked like. She found it quite weird that he was not only dressed as a purple cat, he even had a purple striped tail on his backside. Sissi tugged it a little, only to get a small little response from Odd.

"Is this... like your body or something?" Sissi asked.

"No. It's more like a virtual copy," Odd said.

"Virtual copy?" Sissi echoed.

"I'm actually inside the factory. Inside a computer down below," Odd explained.

"Why are you telling me this, Odd? Why is this happening?" Sissi asked.

"Me and the others have been doing this for some time now. But it's getting out of hand," Odd said.

"What are you, like a superhero or something?" Sissi asked as she poked Odd's cat fur coated arm.

"Yeah, we are. Were a team of virtual superheroes."

"But… why are you a cat? I thought you liked dogs?" Sissi asked.

"Oh, I have no idea… it just made me like this," Odd said.

"And why is your symbol Kiwi peeing?" Sissi said as she pointed towards Odd's chest.

"Well Kiwi is my dog and all…" Odd said.

"This is...Wow this is too much... I don't know what to say," Sissi said as she smiled a little.

"To be honest...we need your help," Odd said.

"My help?"

"All hell is about to break loose. That monster and others like her are coming for Aelita and Jeremy. There's only 4 of us who try to protect them but it's slowly becoming a hard task to do. We really need any help... Please, Sissi."

Sissi hesitated a little as Odd held out his hand. She didn't even know what to think of all that had happened. She didn't even want to be here.

"Odd... I don't know..."

"Sissi... fifty years from now when your sitting down with your grandchildren, don't you wanna tell them how you did something with your life? How you actually stood for something?" Odd said as he held out his hand.

Sissi stared at it for a second and finally made up her decision. She slowly and reluctantly took Odd's hand as he lead her into the factory.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 33

Fall to pieces

The elevator slowly drifted down the elevator shaft of the factory. Sissi couldn't even begin to understand what she was seeing. She thought this was an old run down factory, but to her surprise it was full of life. The lights and power seemed to run on the inside, it even showed signs that someone had been cleaning it lately. There was truly more then meets the eye.

The elevator stopped in front of a large vault like door. Sissi glanced at the size of the large metal object. "How could anyone fit this huge thing down here?" she wondered. Then, she suddenly noticed the camera at the upper left corner of the door.

"Um, is this OK that I can see this, Odd?" asked Sissi.

"Its too late for that, I'm afraid," Odd replied.

"Why did you bring her here?" a voice said.

Sissi looked around for the source of the voice. There was no sign of any person or a speaker.

"She helped me. And she already knows about Aether... we got no other choice," Odd replied to the voice.

"But we have had problems with her in the past, Odd," the voice said.

"Wait... I caused problems?" Sissi asked.

"But she has helped a lot in the past few days, and I would of lost to Aether had it not been for her," Odd said.

"Odd! That's beside the point. If word gets out..."

"Excuse me but it's too late for that. Your bird friend already freaked out the whole school," Sissi said.  
There was a silence between the voice, Odd and Sissi.  
"There were also some F.B.I agents asking about Aelita, which I take it she is in there and this voice happens to be Jeremy? I'm not sure what I have done in the past, and I didn't ask to get dragged into this mess, but I'm here now. And if that bird thing is just the tip of the iceberg that you guys might have problems with, then you really need help. And if you can't accept that, then you're not the person I thought you were, you're just a close minded fool."

Odd glanced in astonishment. She was literally putting Jeremy in his place. And it might have been working.

"Look, I don't know what is going on. But you need to hear what I have to say. If not, then you may miss a opportunity to not only stop this, but get help from it in the meantime."

"We don't need any help," another voice said.

"Why are you guys being so dense?" Odd asked.

"Because we have had problems with new people all the time. And they hardly ever last," the voice said.

"Well… it seems to me like you guys need all the help you can get. And quite frankly even if you don't want to admit it or not, you need it," Sissi said.

There was a second pause. Sissi and Odd could vaguely hear voices from behind the wall. And from the sound of it, they were arguing.

Suddenly Odd disappeared in a cluster of pixels and wires as he was being devirtualized. Sissi screamed in fear as she tried to stop Odd from disappearing.

"Odd's alright... now leave," Jeremy said over there intercom. "We're doing you a favor... you don't want to be a part of this mess."

"Look, these feds only want to help, and I think my father knows Aelita's father... whatever problems you have I can help you with. I'm not gonna run to the authorities or anything, you have my word!"

"We should let her in," a female voice said from the background of the mic.

After a few minutes of silence the door slowly hissed and opened, revealing the interior of the lab. Sissi slowly walked in a gawked in awe at the sight she was seeing. She glanced over to see Jeremy and Aelita standing next to a large computer. Aelita had a towel wrapped around her neck and was sipping from a bottle of water. Sitting on a large cot in the corner was Yumi and Ulrich, who were staring at Sissi with a sense of both alert and confusion. Entering the lab via the ladder were Odd and William. Odd slowly limped in as William slowly guided him into the lab.

"What is this?" Sissi asked.

"This… is our club house," Ulrich joked.

"Looks more like a garage. A garage house or something... And how many of you garage kids are there?"

"Only 6 of us," Yumi said as she walked over to Sissi. "Look, nothing personal about earlier, but we have a little problem with bringing in new people."

"It took them almost 9 months to get used to me," William said.

"You said something like I had been a bother to you before... how so?" Sissi's curiosity grew.

"I think we should leave it at that," Jeremy said as his chair rotated around.

"I'm only here to help and I don't care what worries or issues you have with me being here. I'm only concerned about my friends," Sissi tried to convince the group.

"If you were concerned, you would leave," Ulrich said.

"Ulrich, shut up!" Odd said as he walked over to Sissi. "She saved me out there and if it wasn't for her, Aether would of come in here and done much worse."

"I believe her guys," Aelita said. "She has been a help in the past and she has helped us out a lot in the past few weeks."

"Yeah… and she has really been trying to connect with us so I agree with Aelita and Odd," William said.

"OK, so you want me to tell you about all this?" Sissi asked.

The group of six hesitantly nodded in agreement.

"These feds have been searching for this Waldo Schaffer for some time. They only want to speak to him and they want his help with some case they're working on, and they also think Aelita here is her daughter. They only want to talk to you about something, and from what my father said and acted like, he knew the man too, only by Franz Hopper. And he apparently asked my father to help out his daughter with something, but I'm not sure what... that's all I know. I think you should talk to my father and these feds."

"No," said Jeremy sharply.

"Wait, why?" Odd asked.

"For all we know these feds may have been the ones to kidnapped Ae… .I mean Franz Hopper's family."

"I agree... maybe we should keep hidden for now," Yumi said as she crossed her arms.

"Hey, can I at least know what you're up to here?" Sissi asked.

The entire group fell silent. They had doubts whether they should trust Sissi or make her leave. They had a rocky past with her originally and still to this day had a hard time trusting her.

"Sorry Sissi, but-" Yumi started.

"This computer holds a virtual world in it, and in it is an evil A.I. trying to eradicate us all," Odd interrupted.

"ODD!" Jeremy shouted.

"Look guys... she helped us out a lot in the past few weeks. And she already knows about the factory… we should just fill her in."

"But… Odd!" Yumi pleaded

"So then, that makes you guys like superheroes and all, huh? Kinda cool. Like the Avengers or Autobots. A team of super powerful people," Sissi said.

"Well, we're not robotic... and I'm pretty sure none of us carry a giant hammer," Aelita joked.

"That's enough, guys!" Jeremy cut in.

"Please. I won't say a word about this at all," promised Sissi.

"You said that before," Yumi said.

"I did?" Sissi asked as she did not understand what was on Yumi's mind.

"Yeah... we have a program we use to send us back in time and it's malfunctioning," Aelita said.

Sissi glanced around slowly as she tried to comprehend all that was just revealed to her. She couldn't understand how something like this had remained hidden for so long. And why didn't Odd and the others ever try and push for help of any type or shape? Had they really fought this threat all alone all this time? And if so, what were they so afraid of?

"So, I take it there's no chance of any of you trusting me?" Sissi asked.

Jeremy glanced over at Yumi and Ulrich. He could read it from their faces that both of them were skeptical about introducing Sissi into their group.

"I trust you, Sissi," Odd said.

"So do I," William joined him. " I had the same problem when I joined up, and with things taking a hard turn like this I think we'll definitely need all the help we can get."

"Me too," Aelita said as she walked over to Sissi. "We can definitely use the help and you have tried for so long to fit in with our group."

"Aelita… not you too?" Jeremy looked at her, slightly disappointed with her move.

"Jeremy, come on. In current situation we definitely need to accept any help," Aelita tried to reason with him.

Jeremy hesitated a little as he tried to place his words carefully.

"It's not that I don't believe you... it's just I don't wanna put another life at risk."

"I agree. I remember what happened when we first dealt with the computer," Ulrich said.

"You're right, Ulrich. I'm sorry Sissi, it's just… this is not some video game, this is a life and death situation," Yumi said.

"Guys, we can't fight alone anymore! Can't you figure that out?" said Odd, who did not understand why the others still rejected Sissi's offer.

"I get it. I didn't figure any of you would trust me. It's exactly what Aelita said. I have tried for a long time to be your friends. I know I might have been a little bit of a ass a couple times, but I have tried real hard to join you. But if this is the way you return all I have done for you guys, for trying to be your friend... Then I don't wanna join you," Sissi declared.

"Sissi, no, it's..." Aelita said until Sissi cut her off.

"Don't worry. I'll keep my mouth shut and not say a thing," Sissi said as she walked over to the elevator.

"Sissi, wait! They didn't mean that!" Odd pleaded as the elevator door shut behind Sissi.

As the elevator hummed on its way up, Odd turned to the rest of his friends.  
"That's great, you idiots," he said angrily. "We had someone who could have been a trusted ally and you turned her away like a stray dog!"

"Odd! Forget your little crush and get over it! She turned on us before and she would again!" Ulrich shouted back.

"Odd's right, though... you guys don't trust even your own family now, do you?" William said.

"No, it's that we don't trust her," Yumi said. " I mean what would happen if the same thing that happened to you happens to Sissi? Don't you remember?"

"YOU'RE STILL GONNA HOLD THAT OVER MY HEAD?" William shouted.

"It still haunts us. It was a large problem for us, and..." Ulrich tried to explain.

"No, I see what it is... I see exactly what was wrong with you all. You lost faith in humanity. You lost all hope in the people you protect. In the end you're all the same as Xana and Xervix. You all see humanity as a anchor keeping all of you back. If that's how you guys all act, then I don't want any part of it. I quit!" William said as he walked over to the elevator.

"William, no! Please don't," Aelita pleaded.

"He is right... you have forgotten why we're here," Odd said as he walked over to William.

"Will both of you knock it off? We're not holding it all against you, Will. We just don't want someone to suffer the same way you did," Ulrich said.

"It's not just that. These feds could honestly help us and you don't want to ask?" William said.

There was a silence between Ulrich, Yumi and Jeremy.

"That's what I thought," William said as he entered the elevator, which came back in the meantime.

"Odd?" called Yumi.

"He is right. I can't believe it but for once he is absolutely right! Has it not occurred to you guys that this is getting hugely out of hand? Xervix and his forces are loose now. We're not talking on the net or hidden somewhere... I mean, he is here in our world, which means he can attack us any time!"

The elevator door shut as it raised towards the upper level of the factory floor again. The remaining 4 teens stood dumbfounded over what had just transpired.

"They're right..." Jeremy muttered after a moment of awkward silence.

"How?" Yumi asked him, as she was surprised at Jeremie's sudden change of mind.

"Now, as I think of it… maybe she could be trusted? Consider this, where you and Ulrich would be if Sissi hadn't interfered with Tanell trying to break you two up a while back? Would Sissi defend you if she didn't have any good intentions?" Jeremy said.

"As I said before, it's not that I don't trust her, I just don't want to see her risk her life like we do. And speaking of risking lives… I don't know if I can do this anymore, guys…"

Ulrich, Jeremy and Aelita looked at her in disbelief. Yumi breaking down was not a common sight after all.

"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked with concern.

"That fight with Chaos… for the first time I was truly frightened for my life and Ulrich's.  
I... I don't wanna loose any of you," Yumi said with a breaking voice.

"And no one will, hon... I promise no one will be lost to all of this," Ulrich said as he tried to comfort her. He wanted to take her by her hands, but Instead Yumi pulled away.

"Can you truly say that? We almost lost today, and..."

There was a silence in the room as a small tear ran down Yumi's cheek. Yumi tried hard to hold the tears back. The others couldn't believe that Yumi was actually crying.

"Yumi... listen, I'm scared, too..." Aelita admitted, "but we all have to face our fears and try to overcome them."

Yumi paused a little at the door as she thought about what Aelita said.

"I'm sorry, Aelita. I just need some time alone to think it all over," Yumi said as she entered the elevator.

Ulrich watched as his girlfriend disappeared behind the elevator door. Ulrich slowly sat back down onto the cot and put his hand on his forehead.  
"I can't believe she just broke down like that. She's one of the strongest people I have ever known…" he muttered.

"Me too, Ulrich," Aelita said. She also was touched by Yumi's reaction. "We're going through very harsh times recently. I'm sure she'll get better if she rests a little."

"But… why her, of all the people? Is our situation really that bad?"  
Ulrich's voice shook noticeably. It was obvious he was scared like he never was in his life. For him, Yumi was the source of inspiration and inner strength. Seeing her depressed and broken really influenced him.  
Noticing that, Aelita walked over to him and sat on the cot close to him.

"We all are scared, Ulrich... But that can't stop us. Xervix thinks we are weak. We'll prove him wrong. Together," Aelita assured him, trying with all her might to be strong and assured of her words.

"You're like a brother to me, Ulrich... always have been, always will be. I may not be able to do much, but I will be there for you, I promise."

Jeremy stared at the two as he watched Aelita try to council Ulrich.

"Thank you. I think I better go talk to Yumi," Ulrich said as he got up and left the lab.

Aelita and Jeremy were left alone in the control room.

"What do we gonna do?" Aelita asked with despair as she turned to face him.

"Aelita…" Jeremy called her by her name, feared that she was about to break down just like Yumi and Ulrich did. He hopped off his armchair and walked over to her.

"I-I'm so scared. This- this is how my nightmares have been starting. First the monsters, then the fires… Oh, I don't want to lose anyone. And… most of all… you, Jeremy…" Aelita stuttered quietly as she lowered her head.  
She stared at the floor for a few seconds until she felt a pair of hands being put on her shoulders. She turned to see Jeremy sit down next to her. He fixed his glasses and looked her in the eye. Now he had to be the strong one for her.

"If we managed to stop Xana, we can stop Xervix. I swear to god, Aelita, I won't let your nightmares happen."  
Aelita hugged Jeremy tightly. As he held her, Aelita's previous words wandered in his mind.

"Let's go to my parents' house," he decided. "Everyone's tired and needs a break, just like Yumi."

"And what about Sissi?" asked Aelita, who rested her head on Jeremy's shoulder.

"I think for right now let's leave her alone and get some rest… give everyone time to cool off and try to get themselves straight."

Aelita let go of Jeremy and slowly backed up.

"Okay. As long as you sleep in your own bed," Aelita said.

Jeremy smiled at her. He stood up. Aelita followed him and they walked over to the elevator.  
However, then…

"Hey, and what about me!" Puck shouted over the speakers of the lab.  
Jeremy turned to the huge computer screen, where Puck grimaced and waved his arms, desperately trying to drag anyone's attention.

"Oh, sorry, we forgot. I got a program on my laptop that allows me to communicate with anyone on Lyoko. If anything comes up, let us know," Jeremy explained.

"OK... but I think you should talk to these feds," Puck said.

"You know about them?" asked Aelita, surprised.

"Yes, and they're not a threat. You should do as you said, Jeremy, take a break. With the Titans in this world now, they need time to adjust to your world. It will take them a few weeks."

Aelita and Jeremy nodded in agreement. Then Aelita remembered something.

"Puck... earlier you said we were friends from when I was a kid? Could you elaborate?" she asked. Puck shook his head.

"Later, Princess. Right now go get some rest. I'll tell you the whole thing later."

Jeremy and Aelita said goodbye to Puck and entered the elevator, finally leaving that damned computer lab. The elevator door shut as the pair rode to the upper level.

The black Mustang pulled into the parking lot of the old abandoned factory. The place was a mess, the entire parking lot was littered with debris and damage from what had appeared to be a large and extensive fight. There was a flattened dumpster, large amounts of the pavement were displaced and shattered and a guard house had its whole left north side missing.

"What the hell happened here?" shocked Jessica asked as George and Travis stepped out of the Mustang.

"What is this? What have we gotten ourselves into?" George whispered to himself as he quickly examined the scene in front of him.

Travis picked up a lead pipe that looked almost as if it had been smashed over someone's head.

"We're not cut out for this, man," George said.

"We got to try though, George…" Travis replied.

"But the closer we get to all of this, the more strange and dangerous it gets," George noticed.

"If this man and his daughter need our help, we gotta try," Travis said.

"And get killed?"

Travis stopped and thought about what George was thinking. He was right. This whole mess was seriously more then they had thought it was. At first Travis and the others thought this was all just a case of cooperate terrorism. But now it had streamed to almost something out of science fiction. A bird man, the cat boy and a 14 year old girl who should in reality be twenty-five? This whole thing was just too much, even for them.

"Who's that?" Jessica asked.  
The three agents glanced over to see two figures emerge from the factory. The three agents hurriedly and quietly entered the Mustang. Jessica pulled out a silver briefcase and pulled out a small radar dish like antenna. She mounted it on the hood of the Mustang. She then hooked her laptop up to the USB cable connected to the antenna. Travis and George pulled out a pair of binoculars as they observed the two figures.

"What if it's the bird man?" George whispered.

"Then we still got our weapons," Travis replied.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Hell, I don't know. Can you just quit OCDing about this stuff and watch?" Travis hissed.

"What if it's the cat boy?" George asked.

"Then throw it some catnip, man...What the hell do you want me to say?" hissed irritated Travis.

"Both of you shut up! You argue more then a married couple," Jessica said as she listened in on the conversation.

"One is a boy... blonde hair, size 5'2 maybe 13 or 14... the other is…" George stammered off.

"What?" Travis asked.

George handed Travis the binoculars; Travis peered through them to find a small pink haired teenager. She was walking next to the blonde boy. Then it suddenly registered in his head who it was.

"Aelita Hopper? Or is it… Schaffer?" Travis asked.

"That has to be her. Same size, height and build as the picture with her and Waldo Schaffer," George said.

"She really does look 14," Jessica said.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Travis asked.

"Here, let me put it on the loud speaker of the laptop," Jessica said as she unplugged the headset and turned it down low.  
The speakers slowly came alive with the voices of two teenagers speaking almost casually. Travis recognized that the way they were talking sounded almost as if these kids were in a relationship.

"I'm ready to taste your mother's lasagna, and for my little room too," Aelita said as she stretched towards the night sky.

"Dad said he would pick us up tomorrow evening. Mom is out of town trying to work out the deal with this Sagawa electronics over in Canada. And Dad has been busy with this woman who I guess has been in labor for almost 3 days now," Jeremy said as he put the phone away. He had just finished a phone conversation with his father.

"3 days? Poor her… I hope if I ever have kids that I won't be in labor for 3 days..."Aelita said.

"Aw come on. Dad told me that labors are usually not that complicated… he just gets the worst cases medicine can come up with."

"Ah. Then he must be very good at his job if he's trusted to handle them."

"I guess he is… Oh! And who's that?" Jeremy asked, surprised when his cell phone suddenly went off with a loud ring tone of Lost in you By Three days Grace.

"Can we pick up that call on here?" asked Travis back in the feds' Mustang, not taking his sight off the two teenagers.  
Jessica typed in several commands into the laptop as the antenna zoomed in on the conversation.

"Done," Jessica said.

"Smart and cute... quite the woman," George joked.

Jessica blushed a little as she looked away from George.  
"Still not gonna date you," Jessica said.

"Shut up!" Travis said quietly.

"Hey Jeremy... I'm sorry about how I acted earlier in the lab. I'm just worried, that's all," Yumi said.

"I know, Yumi. All of us are scared," Jeremy said.

"Scared of what?" Travis asked back in the car.

"I mean, with all that's been going on I just get the horrified feeling someone somewhere is preparing to make their move. We really should be careful with our next steps," Yumi said.

"Are they talking about Mal-Tech? Or bird man?" George asked.

"Maybe both," Jessica said.

"So, are you still in?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes... Ulrich talked me into staying in," Yumi said.

"Is he over there now?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah he stopped by. We're both good... and we both agree that Sissi should be allowed into the group."

"Sissi? Elizabeth Delmas?" Travis asked.

"At least we know she is safe," George said.

"OK, so me and Aelita are planning to go to my parents house for the weekend. We're gonna swing by the dorms and talk to Odd and William. And we'll also talk to Sissi," Jeremy said.

"What kind of a name is Odd?" George asked.

"Hell, what kind of a name is Aelita," Travis commented.

"OK... but I wanna go for the record that I don't think we should send Sissi to Lyoko yet," Yumi said.

"What did she say?" Jessica asked, confused.

"What's Logo?" Travis asked.

"Agreed. But maybe she could help us with other things. Such as watching for attacks here on Earth," Jeremy said.

"OK, we'll have a good weekend and take it easy, you two. Say hi to your folks for me," Yumi said.

The 3 teens ended the phone call and put away their phones.

"What are they? Should we just go up and ask them?" Jessica said.

"No... I don't think from this observation they're in league with bird man... but I'm not sure which side would be the good guys," George said.

"None of this makes sense though. What is Logo? And what do they mean, a lab?" Travis asked.

"Maybe we should peek inside that computer lab?" Jessica proposed.

"So, how are you feeling now?" asked Jeremy.

"I'm OK... hungry really," Aelita admitted. "What happened during my blackout?"

"You rose into the air and shot off some weird streams of light or energy. Then you spoke to me in a voice that sounded... spooky," Jeremy explained.

"What did I say?" asked Aelita, curious.

"You called me the Observer and told me I was in charge of protecting you," Jeremy said.

"Just like my father was to my mother," Aelita thought.  
This meant that Jeremy was dragged into this as much as she didn't want him to. She remembered from the flashback how almost everyone who came into contact with the System was either met with a large amount of misfortune… or death.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked when he noticed that Aelita fell silent.

"Nothing… What happened to that crystal that we found inside the computer?"

Jeremy pulled out of his pocket a white tissue, he unwrapped it and held out the crystal in question. It shimmered an almost unearthly glow in the night sky as colors glowed radiantly.

"We haven't touched it since the incident in the lab... but…" Jeremy tried to finish, but Aelita took the crystal away from him.  
She examined it. It glowed even brighter as she held it, yet she didn't feel any different than she did now. It almost felt as if the crystal was in sync with her body.

"Are you OK?" Jeremy asked as he noticed that Aelita was somehow hypnotized by the crystal.

"Yeah, but it's weird, I feel as if it's a part of me... not like a piece of hair or anything, but like an actual part of me," Aelita said. "Mind if I hold onto it?"

"If it's not hurting you or turning into some super powered hurricane, then that's fine. Would look good as a necklace or so," Jeremy said.

"You think so?" Aelita asked.

"Pretty woman like you needs something just as beautiful as her."

"What crystal are they talking about?" Travis said as he observed them through the binoculars.

"It's in her left hand right now, I can see it," George said.

"Why is it glowing?" Jessica asked.

"I'm not sure... and what did they mean when they said it changed her?" George asked.

"Okay, we need to make contact with these two ASAP," Travis said.

"Hang on... look!" Jessica said as she pointed towards the two kids.

"So, how about we go get some food? What do you feel like?" Aelita asked.

"Hmm... not sure. Maybe tacos? What about you?"

"I'll eat anything… heck, even a horse right now," Aelita smirked.

"OK... horse it is," Jeremy joked. Aelita slugged him lightly.

"Hey, you said you could eat a whole horse."

"How about Chinese?" Aelita asked, now more seriously.

"Sounds good," Jeremy said as Aelita held reached out and grabbed his hand. She stared at Jeremy for a few seconds and smiled.

"I love it how you tend to get a little jittery when I do something like this," Aelita said.

"Wha...What do you mean?" asked Jeremy, blushing.

"Oh, nevermind. Let's go."

The agents listened carefully as they anticipated any possible hint of anything important. They slowly closed in on speaker, listening to the words of the couple. It was clear that they were both in love with each other. And they did in fact make a perfect couple as well.

Suddenly a loud scream came over the speakers of the laptop. It was loud enough to not only startle the agents, but also leave a ringing in their ears. The agents jumped so hard the car shook violently.

"Jesus! Did one of them step on a cat? What the hell was that?" Travis asked.

"What was that?" Aelita screamed as she hid behind Jeremy's back.  
Jeremy looked around frantically and saw only darkness growing around them.  
"Aelita, stop freaking out, there's nothing out there!" he said.

"But I saw it! A shadow on the other side of the bridge. IT'S COMING FOR US!" Aelita screamed.

Aelita's second scream was almost like deja vu to the agents. The car shook violently again. The agents were completely startled by the scream and the return of the ringing in their ears.

"Oh, girl, what's going on with you?" Travis grunted.

Jeremy moved forward, calm as a still water, looking carefully around. Aelita followed him, peeking from behind him from time to time. Suddenly, something moved under a tree, this time even Jeremy noticed it.  
Aelita screamed louder then before, loud enough for almost all of Amines to hear. The agents shook the car so hard that the drivers side airbag suddenly deployed, nailing George square in the face and spooking all three. Travis opened the car door and fell out as the ringing sensation continued to pound his head and ear drums. Jessica finally shut off the volume of the lap top and tossed it to the side of the car.

On the bridge Aelita jumped on top of Jeremy's head. She climbed up him; Jeremy attempted to balance himself so that he wouldn't fall over. Finally Aelita stopped freaking out as Jeremy's legs began buckling under her weight.

"Aelita, stop it! It was just a cat!" Jeremy gasped.

"R…really?" Aelita stuttered and climbed off him when he bent dangerously under her weight.

"God… she's in a worse state than I thought," Jeremy muttered to himself. He grabbed Aelita by her arm.  
"Yes, Aelita. Now let's go to the dorm. You really need rest. A lot of it."

Nearby parked in the shadows, Travis continued to roll on the ground as George stabbed the airbag with a knife, causing it to deflate. Jessica stepped out, but tripped over Travis. George also stepped out of the car but couldn't walk straight, due to the double vision the high pitched scream had caused him.

"Dear god, that girl is loud," Jessica said.

"WHAT?" George said.

"KEEP IT DOWN, NOT SO FREAKING LOUD!" Jessica grunted.

"What about cows?" Travis asked.

Jessica watched as the two teens left the bridge hurriedly.

"Man oh man, that girl is loud," George repeated for a thousandth time.

"We should try and make contact tomorrow," Travis said.

"Yeah… but for right now, let's head back. I seriously need some aspirin," George said as he tilted his head to the right.

Yumi sat on her bed. She wore her white bathrobe after recently stepping out of the shower. She had calmed down a lot since her breakdown at the factory. It was mostly fear and nervousness that had caused it all. She was heavily worried about Xervix leaving the computer and then there was Sissi finding out what exactly the gang had been hiding all these many years... and there were all these agents running around, trying to find out what was going on. The whole thing was a huge mess. It made her sick to her stomach and worried about what might happen next.

Yumi laid down the phone on to her night stand as she laid back down on her bed. She fell back on her mattress as she glared up at the ceiling.

"You OK?" a voice said from her door. Yumi glanced over to see the familiar face of her mother Misato peaking through the door.

"Yeah… it's just worries," Yumi said as she sat up.

"Like what?" Misato asked.

"Oh, just friend issues is all... It was just a massive argument," Yumi tried her usual excuse.

"Well, talk to me honey... what is it about?" Misato said as she sat on Yumi's bed with her. It looked like she didn't want to give up.

"Its just… I don't wanna talk about it," Yumi said.

"Yumi, you can talk to me about anything. I'm your mother, no matter what you do, no matter what happens, I will always love you," Misato assured her daughter.

She placed her hand on Yumi's chin and lifted it up so their eyes met. Misato could tell that something was truly bothering Yumi. And she knew that whatever it was, it was big.

"I… I can't tell you," Yumi said.

"It's not about this secret you and your friends have been keeping from us?" Misato said. Yumi's eyes grew large in amazement and fright as she leapt off the bed in astonishment.

"Uh… what secret?" Yumi tried to sound as innocent as she could.

"I have known for a long time that something was going on between you and your friends.  
I don't know the details or what it is about, but I know it involves you and your friends and Aelita. Sure, I was worried at first that it might have been something illegal. But then I realized it was something you had to do... something or someone you were protecting."

Yumi stood in shock at what her mother said. She couldn't believe what she just heard from her, nor couldn't think of any possible way that Misato could of known.

"Yumi... does this issue have to deal with this?" Misato asked.

"How did you know?" Yumi asked. She knew it was useless to hide anything from her mother anymore.

"Oh, please... It was obvious. The lack of grades, the constant disappearance, and the coming home at either 1 am or 5 am. I kept tabs on you. Your father wanted to hire a detective but I knew that there was no need. You can handle whatever comes at you. Your great ancestors were Samurai... noble warriors who defended their homeland and their families."

"Let me tell you a true story. Once an evil warlord came into their land and demanded all the firstborn young daughters. His forces forced the families to give them up. But your ancestor... your great, great great grandfather stood up and said no. He and other samurai, and some ninjas stood their ground against this warlord. 6 against 50. And after a long battle, your grandfather won. He killed the warlord and freed his land."  
"And you are just as strong and noble as any of those men that day, Yumi," Misato said as she stood up and placed her hands on Yumi's shoulders.  
"The spirit of the warrior lives inside of you," Misato said.

Yumi slowly hugged her mother, small tears flowed down her cheeks as she realized for the first time since she began this venture that she had her mother's blessing.

"Do you want to know?" Yumi asked.

"When it's all over, or when the world knows... But whatever happens, you are still my daughter... and I will love you till the end."

Suddenly there was a knock on Yumi's door. Mother and daughter both looked over to see Hiroki stick his head in and paused at the sight he was seeing.

"Um...Ulrich is here... do you want me to send him up here or..."

"No, let me clean and I'll be down there soon," Yumi said as she wiped her tears on her shirt sleeve.

Misato smiled at Yumi and walked out of her room. As she passed Hiroki, he made a large kissey face at Yumi, poking fun at Yumi for her boyfriend's arrival. Suddenly Misato's hand grabbed Hiroki's shoulder and pulled him back.

Meanwhile, Ulrich was sitting on Yumi's front door step. He held his phone tightly. He could not believe the conversation he had just had with his mother. Was it really true? His own father was actually...

"Hey!" a familiar voice called him.  
Ulrich swung around to face his girlfriend who was standing behind him. She was dressed in a white tee shirt while wearing her usual pair of sweat pants.

" I didn't wake you or anything, did I?" Ulrich said.

"No... I just got out of the shower was all. I was sweating pretty bad after that battle went on," Yumi said as she sat down next to him and kissed him on the lips. Yumi noticed that Ulrich wasn't trying return her kiss. He seemed distracted for some reason.

"Is anything wrong?" Yumi grew worried.

"I got off the phone with my father... he apologized for everything he has ever done," Ulrich said.

"Well, that's great. That means you can begin repairing the relationship with your father," Yumi said smiling.

"The thing is… He is not my father."

Yumi's eyes widened in surprise. Her body turned pale white as her breath was suddenly held deeply in her lungs.

"WHAT!" she stuttered out.

"I just found out that in fact… he's my uncle. My real father died before I was born. My uncle decided to move in and try to help my mother. When I was two, they got married. He tried to work two jobs to support us but he eventually began to drink heavily. He told me this as he cried over the phone," Ulrich explained.

"Why did he tell you this and not your mom?" Yumi asked.

"She was with him... I never heard them cry so much before in my life," Ulrich said as he put his head towards the sky.

"Are they...?" Yumi asked.

"Dad... I mean, my uncle is trying to save it. He is in rehab right now and from what it sounds, he is actually doing pretty good," Ulrich said.

"It looks as though everything might work out for you," Yumi said as she wrapped her arm around Ulrich.

"But why didn't they tell me sooner? And what if I don't want to reconnect with my uncle… after how he treated me over all those years…"

"Ulrich. The fact that they told you and that your uncle is in rehab proves he wants to try to connect with you. You have to try," Yumi said.

"But... what if things begin to go back to they way they were before? If it turns out he lied to me and my mom again?"

"Then I will be there right by you," Yumi assured him.

Ulrich finally accepted Yumi's embrace as he leaned into his girlfriend's shoulder. Yumi wrapped her other arm around Ulrich as she hugged him gently. Ulrich wrapped his arms around Yumi's waist as he breathed heavily, trying hard to fight back his emotions.

Ulrich sat up as he regained his composure . He wiped the small faint tears from his face as he glanced at Yumi, he could tell there was something wrong with his girlfriend. He could see it in her eyes.

"I also have something to tell you. My mother knows... about the group," Yumi said.  
Ulrich froze as his eyes starred straight into the Japanese teen's eyes.

"I mean, she doesn't know about the factory or anything... she just knows that we have been doing something secret this whole time apparently," Yumi said as she placed her hands in her lap as she tried to choose her words carefully so she did not upset Ulrich.

"She said she was OK with it. We talked about my ancestors and she expressed how she knows what I'm doing is a noble cause," Yumi said.

"What about your father? What did he say?" Ulrich asked.

"I'm not sure... But it's just a relief to know that, even if it is one member of my family that they actually gave me a blessing on this," Yumi said as she smiled.

"Maybe everything will work out for the best then. My parents are coming forward, and your family..."

"Now if we can only come out of all this alive though," Yumi said.

Ulrich leaned over and brushed the small strain of black hair out of Yumi's face. "You ever thought of growing your hair out?"

"No.. I like my hair like this. Although, I'm thinking of trying on shorts. I mean next week its supposed to be like 110 degrees," Yumi said.

"Well at least you're still wearing clothes.. Odd walks around the dorm room in his boxers on nights like that," Ulrich said.

"Oh my! You totally have my sympathies. And just the thought of Odd in his boxers is probably gonna give me nightmares for weeks," Yumi said in disgust.

"At least he keeps the boxer..."

"I DONT WANNA KNOW ANYMORE!" said Yumi firmly.

Ulrich giggled a little as Yumi fell backwards and laid on the concrete porch.

"So, what about Sissi?" Yumi asked.

"I think she would definitely be a great asset. But I'm still not sure. Maybe just bring her in... slowly."

"That's what I was thinking. Only no Lyoko," Yumi said as Ulrich shook his head in agreement.

Ulrich slowly laid next to Yumi. The porch was comfortably cold. Ulrich felt as if his head was cleared off all unwanted and obtrusive thoughts. It was just him and Yumi under the dark night sky.  
He then laid on top of Yumi and he gazed into her soft sweet eyes.

"I love you, Yumi," Ulrich said quietly.

"I love you too, Ulrich," Yumi smiled at him warmly.

He leaned forward and kissed her softly on her lips as Yumi wrapped her hand around Ulrich's head. They kissed for a few minutes until a noise came from inside Yumi's house. They parted for air and giggled at their fearful reaction. They still remained a pair of shy lovers.

The next morning the temperature did not decrease at all, but instead raised even higher. It was a bright sunny morning. The small, faint cloud cover in the air gave the sky a almost golden feel to it. The dew from the early morning mist turned into a low lying fog. The insects and birds went about their daily morning routine of singing and feasting.

Jeremy awoke to the sound of a faint knock on his door. He raised his head from his keyboard as he glanced over at the time on his monitor. It was already 9 in the morning. Then he realized the voice at the door who was trying to talk to him.

"Jeremy? Are you awake?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy suddenly jumped from his keyboard. He wiped his face as he tried to hide any signs of keyboard imprint on his forehead. He made it half way to the door when he suddenly realized he was not wearing a shirt. Jeremy frantically ran to his closet and grabbed a shirt from last night. Jeremy threw the shirt on as he walked over to the door. He opened the door to see Aelita's sweet bright face glancing at him.

"Morning sunshine" Jeremy greeted.

"Morning Jeremy... did you just wake up?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah... I was a little exhausted after last night," Jeremy said as he let Aelita in to his room. "How was your night, Princess?"

"I had another dream," Aelita said.

"A nightmare?" Jeremy asked with worry.

"No!" Aelita smiled. "I saw other worlds, other people… I felt like I was seeing the very universe. Worlds that I don't even think science fiction writers or movies could ever imagine. There were round worlds, clustered... shattered worlds, triangular worlds. Worlds of rock, ice, ocean, and worlds of metal," Aelita went on with her dream. Jeremy listened with his mouth half open. He could only imagine how beautiful her dream was. Her story relieved him. He really was worried about her after how she behaved on the bridge last night.  
"Then when I woke up... the crystal was glowing in my drawer," Aelita finished.

"Sounds like some kind of feedback," Jeremy said.

"Yeah, it felt like it... And how was your night?" Aelita asked. "Feels like your air conditioner failed on you too last night."

"Yeah, I need to talk to Jim... So hot last night I couldn't fall asleep. Anyway, I need to go hit some shops in town. I need to fix the old laptop, and it would be good to get out of the school, wouldn't it?" Jeremy asked.

"Sure... let me just let you get dressed and you can come get me when you're ready," Aelita said as she stepped out of Jeremy's room.  
Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief as he realized he might of gotten away with sleeping on his keyboard. He slowly removed the shirt as he felt the sweat return to him.

"Oh Jeremy," A voice said from behind the door.

"Yes Aelita?"

"Don't make me have to strap you down to your bed again to get you to stop sleeping on your desk."

"How did you know?" Jeremy asked.

"I noticed the chair pushed away from the desk, and the imprint of the space bar on your cheek."

A white taxi cab sat outside the school yard gates. Inside the driver sat with his hands on the steering wheel he was looking straight ahead, not blinking or even moving. The radio crackled as the voice of the taxi company dispatch. The radio dispatch was asking where the cab driver was.

"Turn it off," A man in the back seat said. The driver slowly reached forward and clicked off the radio.

"Hey look man, I got a family to provide for... I don't want to," the driver said until the man in the back seat cut him off.

"Don't worry pal, do what I say and you will live. I promise you after today you won't see me again," Frank said.

"Is that the kids you're looking for?" the driver asked.

Frank looked over to his left to see a pair of young teens, one blonde, one pink walking together out the gates.

"Yeah... follow them slowly... but don't get too close or too far away," Frank said as he removed the pistol from the back of the driver's head.

The cab slowly began to follow the kids as Jeremy and Aelita boarded a bus bound for downtown.

Frank picked up his cell phone and dialed a number that said "ALPHA" on it.

The phone didn't ring, instead it buzzed and hummed as a voice came on the phone.

"Hey Frank. I made contact with them last night, I took on the form of Aelita's old toy so she would feel more at home," Puck said.

"OK. I saw in the paper that those... friends of theirs got loose. But I'm guessing the other group will try and take them today, now that this has gotten out of hand."

"So... I guess this is it?" Puck asked.

"I knew what I was gonna get myself into, if this is the way for me to clear my demons so be it," Frank said.

"What are you going to do?" Puck asked.

"Get the kids," Frank said as he pulled out the sawed off shotgun from his coat pocket and opened the barrel. He loaded the only two shotgun rounds he had inside of it and placed it back into his pocket.

"And stop anyone who tries to stop me."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 34

The Wolf At The Door

It was a usual Friday afternoon. In the shopping district the sidewalks were crowded; even hot weather did not discourage people from doing shopping. Here and there, gridlocked bumper to bumper, stood taxi cabs and cars. An orchestra of car horns and revving engines filled the air.

Jeremy and Aelita stood inside the local game stop, eyeballing different games and debating on the possibility of getting some source of entertainment for the weekend. Aelita was already clutching a copy of Metroid Other M for the Wii. She loved the Metroidseries ever since she first played it with Odd. She felt that she had a lot in common with the games' main character, Samus Aran. She had not only lost her parents but also fought for the fate of others and the galaxy she lived in. She thought of herself as a tragic hero like Samus.

Jeremy held two boxes in both of his hands. He glanced at one box, then at another.

"I can't decide if I want Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or Infamous 2…"

"I would say Marvel... you still haven't beaten the first Infamous," said Aelita as she continued reading the back of the Metroid game box.

"But… I heard Megaman isn't in this game, which is completely stupid. Megaman is their best video game. Why on Earth would they not include their star player?" Outraged Jeremie put Marvel vs. Capcom back on its shelf. "That's like having a Mario game without Mario in it!"

"They got Zero. He is a Megaman character, is he not?"

As Aelita said that, Jeremy reached out for the box again. However, he stopped his hand in the middle of the distance between him and the shelf.

"It's not the same... I mean, they haven't had a Megaman game in years. They need to quit stuffing Resident Evil down our throats and focus on what they are really good at."

He withdrew his hand and embraced the box with Infamous 2. He looked like he decided to buy it, even though Infamous 1 still lay on the shelf in his dorm room, barely touched.

The pair made their way to the checkout line.

"I like Resident Evil", Aelita admitted. "But I think you're right, there is no respect for the franchise they created."

"I see you have taken another Metroid game?" Jeremy commented on Aelita's choice.

As the checkout man rang up their total to 73 Euros, he handed the clerk his credit card.

"Yes!" Aelita giggled like a true fangirl. "You gotta give Nintendo credit, they don't throw their franchise away for what's hot right now…"

"You like Samus so much, why don't you dress like her?" Jeremy joked as the clerk gave him his card back together with the bill.  
"I do... it's just a pink suit instead of a blue zero one, with an addition of a small clear blue skirt," Aelita smiled.

"Well, it was you who designed it."

They stepped outside and placed the games in Jeremy's backpack.

"I actually wouldn't mind a redesign, just add a little more of my original suit to it, like a mixture of old school and new school…"

Aelita pulled out a pack of gum from her pocket. She took a piece and handed Jeremy a piece as well.

As the two teens walked towards a nearby restaurant, they failed to notice the gray van parked down the street with a man in a black dress suit and black sunglasses who was watching them.

"Targets spotted heading east on 6th Street," the man said into his cell phone.

"Once they near 7th Street, Abroun and Stroffolino will move in to make the capture," a voice replied over the phone's receiver.

Outside the van, a taxi door opened and an old man with a cigarette in his mouth stepped out. He looked over and saw a man observing the two teens he had been tracking all afternoon. He realized what he was looking at. It was a snatch and grab tactic. The men in the van were going to snatch the kids and drive off before anyone couldn't even notice what exactly was going on.

The old man's instincts of an agent were infallible.

After having dinner, Jeremy and Aelita left the restaurant and walked towards the street.

"So, did you talk to Odd?" Aelita asked.

"Yeah. He and William are going later today to talk to her and let her know everything," Jeremy said as he tried to wave down a cab.

"I think she will work out well, I mean we can let her work her way into getting comfortable with the computer... She tried to help once before."

"I remember, but you know... the main problem for all of us is that we remember the problems she used to give us, even if she has changed in the past few months," Jeremy said as a cab finally pulled up.

Jeremy opened the door for Aelita and she slid in the rear driver's side seat. Jeremy stepped in and shut the door as he told the driver where to go. It escaped his attention that the driver wore a black suit and a pair of black sunglasses.

Like a taxi driver is intended to do, he flipped on the meter and pulled away from the curb.  
Meanwhile, the agent in the grey van observed the situation.

"Agent Engle and Agent Curtzman are in position," he announced through the radio.

"Tell Agent Engle to move down the alley and prepare operation Kabillion," a voice spoke through the device.  
In the meantime, the cab slowly weaved out of traffic as it turned left. The two children in the back continued to talk. The driver acted as if he was way too absorbed with driving to even listen to them.

"Jeremy… That band Green Day is coming to Amines soon. How about going to their show?" Aelita asked as she wrapped her arm around his.

"Until these, uh, matters are taken care of, I don't think we should try it," Jeremy opposed.

"But… you said it yourself that we need to relax and get a grip on ourselves before we get a hold of the issue we have now." Aelita tried to convince him.

"It's true… but once we get back to school, I need to look into a few things on the computer before we can really get away from it all…"

Aelita pulled away from him.

"Oh, please… don't go back to your old ways and don't shut me out again!"

Jeremy looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean? I would never shut you out-"

"Really?" She broke in. "How about after I came here? When you acted like you gave up on me, although I was right there? It was awful. I don't want you to do that again..."

Aelita crossed her arms and turned away. She looked offended.

"But… Aww, Aelita, what's gotten into you? I'm sorry-" Jeremy wanted to assure her that going to the concert was in fact a wonderful idea, but a quick glance through the cab's window forced him to stop his apology.  
"Wait a minute. Driver? Is this the route to Kadic Academy?" he asked as the car tried to pull down an alley, but was blocked off by a garbage truck.

"It's fine, Mr. Belpois," the driver said in a velvet, emotionless tone.

Aelita and Jeremy both froze on the back seat as they stared at the driver's reflection in the rear-view mirror. Then, Jeremy noticed the driver's I.D on the back of his seat. The I.D. read Eric Mosley, but the problem was that the man in the picture was of Indian decent, while the driver was Caucasian.

"Where is Mr. Mosley?" Jeremy asked, trying not to panic.

At first the driver didn't say a word, instead he looked in the mirror at Aelita. She stared back at the driver. Something about this man seemed off. It seemed… wrong.

"We have been looking for you for ten years, Miss Schaffer... Now we have you."

Aelita let out a silent scream. Jeremy tried to open the door, only to find there was no way to do it from the inside. Aelita did not lose eye contact with the man as she felt her whole body shake.

"YOU'RE NOT TAKING HER!" Jeremy hissed as he desperately tried to find a way out.

He tried to kick the window in as hard as he could, but it was no use. The glass was thicker than normal.  
"Her? More like both of you," the agent said. "You two are after all nothing more but tools, and tools don't talk back."

Hearing this, Aelita began to scream for help at the top of her lungs. Jeremy positioned himself in front of her as she clawed and fought her way out of the car.

"No, no, NO!" this simple word of objection raced through her mind. She couldn't believe that he worst fears were coming true. Was she really about to lose everyone… just like her mother?

Suddenly, the agent stopped the car. He pulled out a pistol with a silencer on it and pointed it at Jeremy and Aelita. Aelita's voice was trapped in her throat; she glued herself to Jeremy's arm. Jeremy tried to cover Aelita with his body. There was too little time to consider whether the agent was just terrorizing them… or maybe he wanted to kill them?

Then, a gun shot rang out as the driver's window spider webbed from the shot, followed by the body of the agent falling on the steering wheel.

Aelita and Jeremy looked around as they realized what just happened. Jeremy looked out the window to see an old man holding a gun. He was pointing it right where the agent once was.

Frank stood there, realizing what he had just done. He heard the world around him fall silent as he noticed other people escaping from what had just transpired. Frank saw the young girl in the cab looking at him in fear as he realized that she looked just like... her mother.

A zip flew past Frank's face as he watched a sign hanging next to him shattered from the impact of a bullet. Then he remembered there was another agent in the van across the way. Frank turned his pistol towards the second agent and slowly walked towards him, firing the rest of his rounds. The agent in the van panicked and spread off away from the scene.

Frank turned around and ran towards the cab. As he reached it, he noticed a hissing noise coming from the agent's body.

"Dammit... Still functional," Frank cursed under his breath as he grabbed the agent's pistol.

He removed the agent's body and hopped into the cab. He flipped on the ignition. Then, he heard turmoil on the back seat. Jeremy and Aelita tried to get out.

"Stay in the car! You'll be fine!" Frank gasped as the car sped off away from the scene.

The car drove down the street. A pair of cop cars drove by, completely oblivious to the fact that the taxi cab driving was in fact the reason for their problems.

"Wait...What's going on? Who are you?" Aelita muttered.

"My name is Frank. Frank Morse. I'm with Puck," Frank explained calmly.

Aelita jumped in her seat when she heard Puck's name being mentioned.

"How do you know Puck? Unless-"

"You went to the factory and placed Puck in the computer?" asked shocked Jeremy.

"Annoying little shit, ain't he?" Frank smiled. "But yes. Puck and myself have been looking for you guys for a while."

"Who on Earth are those men in black?" Aelita wondered aloud.

"Their principals are responsible for Antea's disappearance... now they want you two because of the System."  
Frank stopped the cab in front of a bar. He hopped out and ran to the other side of the cab and opened the door. Jeremy jumped out and began swinging wildly as Frank grabbed his arm.

"If I was one of them, I wouldn't have shot that guy. You have to trust me. I will get you out of this mess." Frank let go of Jeremy's arm.

Meanwhile, Aelita slowly crawled out. Jeremy helped her out, only to get a sudden hug from her as she tried to calm herself down.

"Come on," Frank hurried the kids into the bar. He walked in and noticed there was no one inside except the bartender, who was cleaning the bar.

"Sorry sir, we're closed," the bartender said.

"I just need to use your phone," Frank said as he pointed Jeremy and Aelita a table next to the bar. The kids sat down.

Aelita folded her arms around her shoulders. Jeremy tried to comprehend what he had seen. It all happened so fast. He was just spending a nice quiet afternoon with Aelita when suddenly all hell broke loose. "Is this guy right? Could he be trusted or was he working with these agents?" Jeremy wondered.

He looked at Aelita. She was still shaking from the sudden turn of events that had happened. Her eyes showed exactly what she was feeling. She was afraid; she felt helpless and powerless in this predicament. This wasn't something she could fight like Xana or Xervix. These were people, flesh and blood people. If what Frank said was true, they were the same people her father feared, and the same ones who took her mother.

Frank dialed a number on the bar telephone. He learned off the number through Puck and his hacking of the AT&T phone network. Frank gasped for breath; he reached behind the counter and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels Whiskey. The line began to buzz a little as he hoped it was in fact the right number.

"Come on! Answer, dammit!"

Travis glanced around the outside of the factory. The sun was incredibly bright today, causing the bugs to scramble madly around in the air. Travis noted the entrance to the building looked as if it had been recently cleaned; there was indication that some activity had been going on inside here.

"Hey, I found something!" George shouted.

Travis glanced over to see his partner standing over a manhole cover. George removed the heavy piece of cast iron.

Jessica came closer and glanced down. Below, in the shaft, stood three pairs of skate boards, a pair of scooters and a small stand holding them up.

"So they use the sewer system to travel, huh?" she suggested.

Travis joined them and took a look as well.

"They must have an entrance somewhere in the school's area, and then they use the sewer system to come down here to the factory. And this really isn't a sewer system, it's more like a drainage run off for the rain water and all."

Jessica and Travis backed off as George covered back up the manhole. Then, Travis's phone suddenly rang. He reached into his pocket and saw that the number was not registered on his address book. Travis hesitated for a few seconds whether he should answer it or not.

"Is that your phone?" asked Jessica.

"Yeah, but it's an unregistered number."

He glanced over at George, who was looking around the side of the bridge.

"Telemarketers. They always do that crap," George commented.

Reluctantly, Travis hit ACCEPT on the phone and held it up to his ear. On the other end he could hear panting and heavy breathing as if someone just ran a marathon.

"Hello, agent Travis Dalesman..." Travis introduced himself.

"Glad to see you took my advice," a voice over the phone replied.

"Frank?" Travis recognized the voice. It gathered the attention of George and Jessica.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I don't have a lot of time, Mal-Tech is after Jeremy and Aelita. I have them, but you need to meet me at the downtown bus station in one hour. You have to get these kids out of trouble or else everything is lost. Everything, do you understand?"

"Are you in trouble, Frank?"

"There is no time... Meet me there and get these kids to the System... I'm sure one of you may have an idea where it is."

Travis stuttered something like „But wait-", however, before he could ask another question, Frank hung up. Travis tried to call him back but there was no answer.

"What did Frank mean by trouble? Was Mal-Tech really after those kids?"Travis wondered.

"Was that Frank Morse?" Jessica's voice interrupted Travis's train of thought.

"Yeah. We gotta go... I'll explain on the way." Travis rushed to their black Mustang.

Jessica and George followed him. Soon after, they sped off towards the city.

Frank hung up the phone. He heard it ring almost as soon as he got off the phone. He walked over to find Jeremy standing in front of him. The boy looked him straight in the eye with his fists closed and biting his lower lip. He had a stern look on his face, a look as if he was prepared to fight Frank.

"Okay... tell me who you are and what is going on!" Jeremy demanded.

"I'm only here to help. I'm not with Mal-Tech or anyone else for that matter, I'm here to make up for..." Frank repeated what he said before.

A sudden sound silenced him. The door opened and in walked a dressly sharp man in a black suit. He was quite short, with reddish brown hair and a smug look on his face. He glanced around the bar and noticed that apart from the three people standing in front of him, the bar was empty.

"Why hello, Frank," the man greeted him.

Frank felt a swell of both anger and rage build up in him. In front of him was the bastard responsible for all the issues he had suffered for the past few years. The monster that caused him such horrible nightmares and responsible for a death of someone he loved...

"...Chris," Frank drawled. He wanted to hit the redhead right in the face so badly for what he did to him in the past.

Chris noticed Aelita and Jeremy were right next to Frank. He waved at the two kids when the door opened again and a group of men stepped inside. Chris walked over to Frank, who was already standing rather defensive by the bar. Chris smiled insolently at the old man as the other four men gathered around Jeremy and Aelita. Aelita huddled next to Jeremy in fear and the boy wrapped his arms around her.  
Chris landed over the counter towards Frank.

"I understand you have apparently been trying to help, Frank..."

Frank stood behind the bar with a poker face. He realized it all made prefect sense, since Chris was the agent who captured Antea. It was natural that Chris appeared, this time to secure the children... and Frank led him right to them. He knew he screwed up big time... again.

"Well, you definitely helped. Just like the last time... Now, why don't you leave us to do our work?"

Suddenly, a fifth man appeared inside the bar and walked into view. Jeremy's eyes grew large as he suddenly recognized the man who had stepped into the bar. It was the agent from earlier, the very agent Frank Morse shot, only this agent should have been dead. Instead, he looked as if nothing had happened. There was no sign of a wound or blood. He looked as if he was a 100% new person.

"How are you doing, agent Urk?" Chris asked with an insolent joy that made Frank grimace as if in pain.

"Pretty good, sir, thank you," the somehow resurrected agent replied and joined the men who were encircling Jeremy and Aelita.

"Hi... We have unfinished business now, don't we, tools?" he spoke to the teens.

Frank glanced back and forth towards the kids and the agents next to them. Chris leaned on the counter and motioned for him to come closer.

"The kids are important. And it's a very bad idea for them to be out in the open without any form of help now, is it?" Chris whispered. Then he turned to the agents and clapped his hands.

"OK gentlemen, tag 'em and bag 'em," he ordered.

Two of the agents grabbed the kids and another pulled out two syringes with a green liquid in it. The other two pulled out a pair of black bags as Aelita and Jeremy struggled.

Frank gritted his teeth as he watched what was going on. He could see Aelita's face as clear as the sun, the same fear he saw before.

"So, Frank. How is that wife of yours? What was her name again?" Chris asked smugly.

Suddenly a blast came out from behind the wooden bar table, striking one of the agents holding the black bags. The agent grunted in pain as he grabbed his knee and fell to the ground. The remaining agents turned around and noticed Frank holding a shotgun, pointing it straight at Chris's head.

"Raven. Her name was Raven. And you were the one who killed her!"

"Then I did her a favor." Despite Frank's sudden outburst, Chris did not lose any bit of self-confidence.  
Frank motioned for Jeremy and Aelita to come to him. The kids shook loose the grasp that the other agents had and ran over to him. Jeremy pulled Aelita behind him as Frank held his double barrel shot gun straight at the agents.

Chris burst out laughing.

"Frank, please. I have thirty-two other agents in the city and several others on standby. I have a small army. And all you have is that shotgun with one round left in the chamber, agent Urk's pistol and that small

pathetic revolver with 3 rounds left in it... As a former agent, you should count your chances!"

He pointed at Jeremy and Aelita, who were trembling in an embrace behind Frank's back.

"Those instruments… those children… are Mal-Tech's property. We have been looking for them ever since the end of the Cold War. And now that we know their identity, we will in fact obtain them and then we will send you, Frank, to meet your dear wife! How sad it is... An old man like you, still trying to fix something beyond your control!" Chris chortled like a mad man.

"I assure you, there are others like me... Others who will stand to stop you and others like you," Frank hissed. "This is just the beginning of the resistance.. And they won't let you get away with any of this or the stuff you pulled so long ago!"

Frank began to slowly back himself and the children towards the door. Jeremy opened the door and led Aelita out as Frank slowly walked out behind them. Frank quickly grabbed a board and propped it up against the door. No sooner than he did so, a volley of gun shots pelted through the door. One bullet struck the shotgun, denting the barrel. Frank tossed it and pulled out his six shooter, and ran after Jeremy and Aelita.

The pair ran onto the sidewalk as Frank followed after them. They ran out into the street as a wave of cars blared their horns and squealed their tires to avoid the youngsters. Jeremy tried to lead Aelita across the street when he heard the loud horn of a large semi coming straight at them. The semi squealed its brakes as it attempted to stop, but it was no use, it kept coming.

Jeremy realized what he had done and tried to shove Aelita out of the way. He knew it was too late for him, but he had to at least save her.

To his surprise, Aelita suddenly wrapped her arms around him. Jeremy glanced at her face to see her eyes glow white. Aelita leapt into the air with Jeremy in tow. She jumped so high she cleared right over the semi. Her feet hit the metal top of the semi's trailer as she jumped again, leaving a small indentation where her feet had leapt off from. Aelita then landed on the pavement of the hot road as a blue SUV narrowly passed her.

Jeremy gasped as he realized what they had done; Aelita had just hurdled over a semi. She didn't jump out of the way or off to the side; she jumped OVER the truck!

Aelita suddenly dashed off to her left with her arms still wrapped around Jeremy as they passed one more car and made it to onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street.

Aelita released Jeremy as her eyes faded back to normal. The kids ducked behind a backalley as Jeremy tried to catch his breath.

"What was that?" he asked in amazement.

Aelita looked up at him.

"I… don't know. It felt like an instinct... wow. What caused that?" Aelita wondered.

As Jeremy tried to catch his breath, he noticed a colorful glow coming from underneath Aelita's shirt.

"Is that the shard from the computer we found last night?" he pointed at the light on Aelita's chest.

"Yeah, I made it into a necklace this morning," Aelita said as she pulled it out from underneath her shirt. It continued to glow vibrantly until it finally dimmed and went back to looking like a normal crystal shard.

"That happened before, remember? On the playground during soccer, before you passed out in the shower," Jeremy noticed.

"Then how come I'm not fainting again?"

No sooner than Aelita asked that question, Frank appeared behind her, breathing heavily. Aelita spun around and faced him. In a fever, Jeremy grabbed a trash can lid and hit Frank with it. Frank reeled a little from the hit as Jeremy prepared for a second blow. This time, Frank stopped it by grabbing the lid and tossing it aside. Jeremy came closer and attempted to punch Frank in the chest, but the elderly agent grabbed Jeremy's arm and dexterously put his arms behind him, blocking his any movement.

"Hey, calm down, kid! If you haven't realized yet, I'm no threat to you!"

He released Jeremy, who swayed a little. Regaining his balance, he stood next to Aelita.

"Who are you?" asked Aelita.

"My name is Frank Morse", Frank repeated calmly. "I'm a former CIA agent, who was also in charge of protecting your parents and you when you were born."

Aelita's eyes widened.

"You- you were the one who protected me and my family?"

"I tried... but I failed. Now, I'd like to make amends for my failure. I tried to find you and help you. I went to your house in Colorado and found the first computer your father created. There, I found his prototype A.I. Delta, or as you called it, Mister Puck. We have tracked you guys down because we both knew that eventually Mal-Tech would come for you. They came for your mother and they would come for you as well... We had to find you, to put you on the right path."

"Wait. Are these feds with you?" Jeremy asked. He recalled Puck telling something about the American agents.

"No, but we need to get you to them. They can take you to the System, and once you get a hold of it, you will be unstoppable," Frank said as he looked at Aelita.

"Aelita… All the different things you have been feeling, any high tend senses, the rise in agility, that little stunt you just did on the street…. All of it is just a small taste of what you will be able to do with the System. And if Mal-Tech gets their hands on it, they will use it to bring the world under their control. They will use you as a weapon of mass destruction."

Aelita blinked with disbelief.

"What? Why me?"

"Only the Avatar can use the System's power. It's genetic. Your mother had the power and once you where born, that power was passed to you."

Aelita looked at Frank with her mouth open. She remembered hearing the same thing before, from her father, when she was unconscious in the factory…

"But.. Why do they need me?" Jeremy asked.

"Firstly, you know more about Waldo's work then any of his assistants ever had known. And secondly, you are the Obsever. You protect the Avatar and allow her to do what she does. You give her strength and guidance. You became the Observer when you both fell for each other. The System won't function without both of you."

Frank motioned for Jeremy and Aelita to follow him. They were a little hesitant at first, but after a few seconds of staring into each other's eyes, they agreed. Frank led them down the hot, bustling streets of Amines. In the crowd they felt much safer.

"Where are we going now?" Jeremy asked.

"The downtown bus station. The feds will help you from there. You have to trust them. They can lead you to the System. But you will need to move fast, Xervix and his forces are already heading towards America where it's located."

"Why is it in America? I mean, what facility can house something like that?"

"Where most dreams are hidden," Frank replied.

"Area 51?" Aelita suggested hesitantly.

"Ah, yes. The place where it all began. Where Waldo developed the idea and the equipment vital for materialization. Where his original scanner prototypes are housed," Frank explained.

"Was that back during the Vorseas project?" Jeremy grew curious.

"No… Project Carthage," Frank said.

"Great. How are we supposed to get to Area 51?"

That was when Frank noticed a black suburban, which pulled up all of a sudden in the distance. The doors of the suburban flew open and five men in black jumped out in almost a unison order. More agents. Frank saw them looking around and separate in the crowd.

Frank cursed under his breath and searched for any possible way off the streets. He glanced up and noticed a ladder leading up to the rough top of one of the buildings. Frank motioned for Jeremy and Aelita to climb up. Jeremy went up first and Aelita went up second with Frank coming up towards the end. They made it up to the top of the ladder and onto the roof of the four story building. Frank drew his pistol and led the way.

Suddenly, a gun shot rang out; the bullet grazed Frank's arm as he flipped on his side to return fire at the source of the bullet. The agent who fired the bullet ducked behind a chimney as Frank stood back up. The agent turned around from his cover, only to find Frank missing. Suddenly, a hard thud hit the agent in the back. Frank holstered his six shooter and picked up the agent's pistol.

He turned to see a glare from a scope coming from the rough over. A silent bullet fired from the sniper, hitting the brick chimney right behind Frank. Frank ducked down; he fired at the sniper as he ran towards the other edge of the roof.

Jeremy and Aelita were already there. Aelita glanced around and noticed a glass window on the floor of the ceiling. She kicked open the glass of the window as she took Jeremy's hand and leapt into the entrance.  
Aelita landed on the table below her with a loud thud, causing the table to shift. She flipped over onto the floor as Jeremy landed on the same table. Finally Frank landed on it, causing it to break and land on its broken legs.

Frank hopped up and peeked outside the door to see if the coast was clear. He slowly popped open the door as he took point and led Aelita and Jeremy out. Frank looked around and saw the silhouette of two men coming up the stairs.

Jeremy waved at Frank and Aelita, gathering their attention. He pointed at the door next to him, which led into a hallway of apartment buildings. Frank kept his gun pointed down the hallway as Jeremy slowly opened the door and let Aelita inside. Frank shortly followed as they walked down the silent hallway.

The corridor was mostly full of apartment entrances. A fine mess of garbage and trash filled the hallway, waiting for their usual pickup, which happened to be a little late this time of the year. A red glow from many of the dull lights filled the hallway as some flies buzzed and danced around their faint glow.

The trio slowly walked down the hallway. Frank knocked on a door down near the end of the hallway; there was no response. He knocked on a second door, with no result.

Suddenly, a loud noise suddenly came from the stairwell door a few inches away from them. Jeremy quickly grabbed a full trash can and wedged it up against the door. Aelita grabbed a full box of glass and slid it behind the can. The door suddenly shook hard as a force behind it attempted to open it. Frank kicked opened the door to an apartment, startling Jeremy and Aelita. Frank leaned over and pointed his gun towards the doorway as Jeremy led Aelita inside the room.

"Sorry. Excuse us!" Jeremy said as they walked into the apartment.

Jeremy noticed the apartment's occupant sitting in the corner of the living room. He was a small old man, drinking his tea. His skin was wrinkled and shriveled. Short white stubs popped out of his mostly bald scalp as a pair of think glasses hung over his nose.

The old man didn't say a word but continued drinking his tea. Frank entered the apartment and shut the door, locking the deadbolt at the same time. Frank turned to see the kids staring at the old man. Frank motioned for them to follow him as he opened the window leading out to the fire escape.

As the trio climbed down the ladder, the door to the apartment slammed open as two agents entered, pointing guns around and aiming at the old man, who continued to drink his tea as he stared off into space.  
One agent noticed the opened window. He ran over in time to catch a glimpse of a pink haired person leaving the fire escape.

"They went out the window!" shouted the agent. He and his companion left the room.

"Come in!" the old man said as the door shut.

Frank jumped down the fire escape as Aelita looked around for any possible signs of the agents. There was none.

"How far are we from meeting those feds?" asked Jeremy, who was also trying to spot any suspicious signs.

"At least half a mile. Let's enter the mall through the maintenance side," Frank suggested.

They ran near the building's wall.

Suddenly, a man came out of nowhere and grabbed Aelita by the hand. Aelita looked up and saw that the man who had a hold of her was one of the men in black. She slapped the agent in the face with her free hand; at the same time Jeremy tackled the man in the side. The agent released his grip on Aelita and slammed his fist into Jeremy's back, dropping the blonde haired boy to the ground.  
Frank attempted to close line the agent, instead the agent high kicked Frank in the chin. Frank fell onto his back, dropping his pistol to the ground. The agent kicked him square in the chest, knocking the air out of him.  
Jeremy jumped up and kicked the agent in the shin. The man in black reeled a little from the blow, but retaliated with a swift punch to Jeremy's side. He then grabbed Jeremy by the neck and held him up into the air with incredible strength.

Jeremy tried to pry himself loose from the agent. The agent's grasp on his neck tightened by the minute. Jeremy coughed as the agent continued to stare blankly at him. Jeremy saw the whole world go dark as he felt himself slipping out of consciousness.

"STOP!" cried Aelita.

Jeremy was released to the ground. He coughed and wheezed from the choke while grabbing his neck. The agent looked at Aelita, who was holding the pistol Frank dropped. Jeremy slowly stood up next to Frank. He could not believe in what his eyes were locked on.

Frank held his hand out, trying to calm down the troubled teen as Aelita's hands shakingly balanced the pistol.

"You are not taking me… or Jeremy!" Aelita shouted.

"Aelita... you don't want this-"

"Yes I do!" Aelita replied to Jeremy as she pointed the pistol square at the agent's head. "You've been haunting me for three years. My father is dead because of you... I lost everything because of you... But now, there is one thing I have left to learn..."

Where- is- my- mother!" Aelita demanded.

The agent merely stood there, looking at her smugly.

"WHERE IS SHE!"

"Chernobyl, Ukraine. Where you will go soon," the agent said. "It will be like a family reunion."

Aelita's eyes widened at the news she heard. No sooner the agent reached for the gun she held. Aelita shuttered a little causing the gun to go off, striking the agent in the face. She backed off, dropping the gun as she realized what she had done. But to her surprise, the agent just stood there with his face down.

Jeremy's face turned pale white from fear, not with what he had just saw transpire... but what he was witnessing now.

The agent raised his head to reveal the bullet hole. Inside, there was no blood and bone, but wires and metal. An orange eye peered back at Aelita, glowing brightly like a car headlight. Sparks sizzled from inside the agent's eye socket as the eye focused on Aelita.

That was when Jeremy and Aelita both realized that the agent was… a robot.

The agent grabbed Aelita's throat as it raised her into the air. Jeremy jumped onto his arm, attempting to free his friend. No sooner than he did so, a ring of gun shots struck the agent in the head, blowing a large hole into the robot, causing it to short out and release Aelita.

The machine dropped to the ground as Aelita chocked and gasped in her attempt to regain her breath.

"They're robots? They're all robots?" Jeremy stuttered as he helped Aelita up.

"Most of them are... the one I was talking to was human," Frank explained.

Jeremy touched the now shut down robot's face. He looked up at Frank in disbelief.

"This kind of technology... it's…"  
"It does exist. There is a lot about the world you kids don't know about," Frank said.

Aelita observed as he dragged the robot to the back of a dumpster.

"Did my father help make this?"

Frank nodded as Aelita coughed a little.

"We gotta go," Jeremy rushed them.

The three moved down the sidewalk till they came to a bus stop. Jeremy noticed the bus was getting ready to leave when he stuck his hand inside the bus's door. Jeremy and Aelita boarded the bus and showed their bus pass. Frank dropped some change in the change machine and walked towards the back near the kids.

"What happens now?" Aelita asked when they finally sat down. They all were exhausted because of their runaway from the agents.

Frank made them come closer and lowered his voice.

"Your father did help Mal-Tech a little. But when he discovered what they were intending to do, he left with your mother. He soon calculated what they exactly were preparing. They were planning something much worse than what Xana would have done with the help of a much more dangerous A.I."

"Xervix?" Jeremy asked.

"Even worse. A creature that has been working on the side in the shadows for years. But the others have been keeping it quiet."

The bus shook a little as it prepared to move.

"What others?"

Frank did not answer. Instead, he reached into his breast pocket and removed a small USB drive. He held out the silver drive in his hands towards Aelita.

"Do not open or look at this until after you have the System and defeated Xervix. Do you understand?"

Aelita shook her head in agreement and took the USB drive from Frank's hand. Then Frank reached into his pocket again and pulled out a silver flask. He took a swig from it as the bus came to a halt.

"Next stop you two get off. The feds will be waiting for you. Remember, they're your friends," Frank instructed them.

"Thank you for saving us from the agents. But… why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?" Jeremy still could not understand Frank's devotion to their cause over the course of the day.

"For redemption," Frank answered shortly.

Jeremy and Aelita starred at the old man in confusion.

"I had to do this... the reason I know a lot about you and your family, Aelita... The reason I knew where to find you... and the reason I am trying to save you is to make up for what I did years ago," Frank said as he took another long swig from his flask.

"What did you do?" Jeremy asked.

Frank looked at Aelita with his bloodshot, tired eyes.

"I was the one who kidnapped your mother."

There was a long silence as Aelita's eyes grew even larger. Jeremy removed his glasses as he stared down at Frank.

"They had my wife and told me if I didn't turn in you and your mother, they would kill her. I tried to protect your mother... I really did. When we loaded up your mother, and when you tried to chase after the car, I watched the whole time... crying. I then realized what I had done. It haunted me for years. When Waldo confronted me about it, I promised him that I would set you on the right path to make sure that whatever bad happens, you can overcome it. That is why I am here."

Both teens were rendered speechless.

Aelita stared at man who was helping them and wondered. He was responsible for her loss of her mother. Because of him, she was haunted by those constant nightmares she had endured all these years, the dreams of her mother's disappearance, of the wolves chasing her down a dark cold forest…

It was her who decided to break the silence.

"Did you tell them where we were here in France?" she asked firmly.

"No, they found that out themselves. I'm not sure how… probably through an agent they positioned here. Who that agent is, I have no idea."

The bus stopped and Frank stood up.

" What I did to you was a terrible thing. It's because of those events that for me a day never goes by without wishing I had chosen death back then. I didn't want this, nor did I ask for this." Frank's eyes filled with tears as he turned to leave.

"I don't expect you to forgive... I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

Frank Morse pushed the button on the bus's door and it opened. He walked out of the vehicle.  
Tears streamed down Aelita's face as she looked out the window. Frank turned around towards Aelita and Jeremy. They could see him taking another sip from his flask before the doors closed and the bus started to leave of the stop.

"That poor man…" Aelita whispered as she sobbed a little.

"He suffered from this as much as you did," Jeremy whispered back.

The bus began to pull forward. Aelita realized this might have been the last time she would see Frank. He was trying so hard to help her and protect her from the same fate as her mother. He deserved forgiveness. Aelita jumped out of her seat and ran to the back of the bus. She lowered the window and stuck her head out of it.

"I forgive you," Aelita shouted as the bus pulled away. She would never know if he heard her through the roar of the engines, but she felt relieved to let these words out of her.

The bus slowly went down to the final stop. Jeremy looked over at Aelita, who was coming back to her seat, and saw tears in her eyes.  
When she sat down beside him, Jeremy wrapped his arm around her. Aelita looked up at the boy.

"Will I be OK? Will we be OK?"

Aelita couldn't hide her emotions anymore. Tears began to abundantly flow down her face as she buried her face in Jeremy's chest. She closed her eyes as she sobbed silently. She leaned on Jeremy's shoulder and hugged him even tighter.

Jeremy wrapped his arms around her as he comforted her.

"We will, Aelita, as long as we're together. You heard Frank. Together we're unstoppable."  
Hearing that, Aelita wiped the tears and smiled lightly.

"You know, I'm so lucky I met you. I wouldn't want to be with any other person in this situation but you," she whispered.

Jeremy held her as he closed his eyes and whispered the lyrics to a song that Aelita always said was their song.

"Even if I say. It will be alright. Still I hear you say, you want to end your life. Now and again we try, to just stay alive. Maybe we'll turn it around cause it's not to late. It's never too late…" He softly hummed the rest of the melody in her ear.

Aelita leaned herself comfortably against him.

"I love you Jeremy."

"I love you too Aelita," Jeremy muttered.

The bus came to a stop. Three agents in a black Mustang were looking at the vehicle.  
Travis stood in front of the Mustang, and George and Jessica were standing at the rear of it. Travis held a small piece of paper in his hand, watching for any possible sign of Frank and his two small escorts he was bringing with him.

George and Jessica both kept their hands hidden in their pockets, each of them grasping their .45 caliber pistols. They didn't know what to expect from the situation, they only knew that the past few weeks had ushered in a slew of events that had literally seemed like something out of fiction. First there were the agents in California who tried to kill them, then the audio log Waldo Schaffer left. Now there was this bird like creature on the loose in Amines and, what was the most shocking of it all, the possibility that a young girl who should be in her mid-twenties was alive, in school and actually fourteen.

The bus door opened as a slew of passengers stepped off. Then out went a blonde teen, followed by a pink haired girl, whose face was wet from tears. The two teens walked a few feet and spotted the feds. Both stared at them, wondering if they should take Frank's advice or run.

Travis stared right at Aelita. It was mind boggling. She looked just like on the photo that was in Waldo's diary.

"It's... impossible. She should be twenty-six or so…" George whispered to Jessica.

"It can't be real..." shocked Jessica replied as she removed a pair of sunglasses from her face.

Travis slowly walked up to the two teens. The pair flinched a little, not knowing what to expect from the approaching man.

Travis held up the photo of Aelita and her father and compared the photo with the girl who stood right in front of him. There was no doubt about it. It was the same person.

"Miss Schaffer?" confused Travis asked.

"Yes?" Aelita asked, slightly backing off into Jeremy's direction.

"I'm agent Travis Dalesman. FBI. We have a few questions for you... "

"Like?" inquired Jeremy.

"How can we help," Travis reached out his hand.

Aelita looked towards Jeremy with both confusion and worry. Jeremy looked back at Travis and starred at him straight into the eye.

"We only have a few questions. Then you can go about your ways." Travis said.

Aelita slowly lifted her hand up. She hesitantly paused for only a moment then placed her hand in Travis's hand. Travis slowly closed his hand around hers as he smiled warmly at the shook teens.

"My name is Aelita Schaffer," Aelita said slowly. "I am the daughter of Waldo Schaffer. Also known as Franz Hopper."

_  
Frank slowly walked down the sidewalk near the local bus station. He glanced around the area, noticing that there was not a single soul in the area. The entire bus stop was quiet; almost too quiet for the middle of the afternoon.

Frank slowly walked into the bus station's doors. There were no buses docked around the station and no worker was in sight, even though the sign on the door said OPEN.

He slowly walked down the hall of the bus station. As he walked, he saw one person come inside; the man wore a black suit with bright red hair. He also carried a pistol with a silencer attached to the barrel.

It was Agent Chris.

Both men stared at each other for a few moments as they sized each other up, trying to read each other's thoughts and possible tricks they may attempt to use.

"Where are the kids?" Chris asked.

"Let them go... You'll never find them now," Frank replied.

"It's inevitable that we will find them... you can't protect them forever!"

"I won't... but there will be others. The whole world will rally against them and usher in a new age for humanity. One that will shy away from the age of fear you wish to in stow."

"You think it will work?" Chris smirked. "Look at all humanity has done. War, extinction of species, global warming, terrorism. And let's not forget my favorite. A weapon that humanly kills thousands... Nuclear weapons."

"Humanity is a small scared child," Frank retorted. "They only need to be steered in the right direction, away from the darkness."

"Humanity is a society too sick to survive another decade!" mocked Chris. "We are nothing more but slimy insects scouring about the ground, devouring everything and spawning more and more sick freaks. And for what? To live in this germ infested world?"

"Humanity will save itself. There is always hope."

"There is NO hope. Soon, Earth shall become the largest mass tomb in the history of the universe. Even God has forsaken us, if there is one."

"God does exist and he created people like the children to stop and defeat people like you who shied away from him," said Frank with conviction.

Chris raised his hand in a theatrical gesture.

"There is no hope... not for those instruments and not for this world. We will shape it in OUR image!"  
"And then everything you said would happen, WILL happen. And you and Estrada will be at the center of it!" Frank said sternly.

"Not under our watch."

"It will be the holocaust all over again."

"We will preserve this planet."

"You will doom us to the same fate as the dinosaurs and it's the truth."

"FUCK THE TRUTH!" Chris shouted. His voice echoed in the empty hall of the station.

Frank just stood there, staring at Chris as he pointed the pistol at him.

"All right then... I'm done. I did what I promised and atoned for my signs. Now there is nothing left for me... but to walk away," Frank said as he removed the pistol from his jacket, dropping it to the floor and kicking it off to the side as he turned around.

"Good luck, kids."

Chris pulled back the hammer of his pistol.

Frank looked up at the ceiling and started to recite something like a prayer.

"You gotta go far to save all that you love, if you give what you got you will make it through. You kids are like the sun shining bright on the world today. You can't stand alone, but be there when you call. Stand real tall."  
Chris took aim at the back of Frank's head.

Tears streamed down Frank's face.

"You kids are... Stronger after all..." he said hoarsely.

Then, a bullet flew from the barrel of Chris's pistol. The empty shell casing landed on the floor, echoing in the quiet blue hallway, followed by the thud of a body on the floor. Frank fell to the ground.  
Chris lowered his pistol and approached to the body of the old man. As he walked over he noticed something off with Frank.

He was smiling... in death.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 35

The Journey Home

_New York City, New York_

High air humidity combined with exhaust fumes from many vehicles that honked and roared in gridlock created a coat of grey smog above the buildings. On the ground, thousands of people were walking around the streets, from formally dressed businessmen and police officers to a variety of New Yorkers of different ethnicities and professions. Many of the people were bumping into one another in a hurry or screamed obscenities towards each other. Some beggars were sitting on the sidewalks and asking for change; most of the time pedestrians passed by and averted their looks. The trash cans and dumpsters on the streets were filled with large amounts of trash; litter lay not only in the gutters, but covered the areas around them. Homeless were digging in them in search for anything they could sell.

Xervix stood on top of the Empire State Building. Chaos, Atlas and Tartarus accompanied him. The four Titans were observing the city that spread below them.

Seeing disorder and injustice among the humans, Xervix snorted pitifully.

"My my. What a selfish facade of a race they are."

Then, a screech came from above them when Aether flew into view. The bird man soared downwards and landed next to Xervix. He flopped onto the ground, tired from flying across the Atlantic. His face grimaced in anger.

"How dare you leave me half way around the world!" Aether screamed.

Xervix said nothing and continued to stare off into space.

"YOU DARE IGNORE ME?" Aether shouted. He pulled out his daggers and charged Xervix.

Aether came within a few inches when Xervix turned around and grabbed his neck. Xervix squeezed Aether's neck as he raised the bird high into the air and came within eyeball level.

"I will do with you as I please...You are nothing more than my pawn. And I will gladly leave you to deletion if I wish so!" he growled and slammed the Titan into the roof of the building. Retreating from the throw, Aether grabbed his throat and glanced at his master angrily.

Tartarus came closer to him.

"Lord Xervix... Shall we head to Nevada to claim the System?" asked impatient Chaos.

"Yes," Xervix hissed with joy. "By the time the children arrive, we shall be in position. At last, my Titans! Our day has come."

_Somewhere in Amines, France_

The interrogation room was dark and dismal. It was furnished only with a large black table in the middle and several chairs around it. The window was hidden behind thick blinds that let very little sunlight inside. Only a single lamp hung over the table, which glossy surface reflected light along the walls and onto a huge mirror, which was placed on the side with the door.

Two teenagers sat at the table, sipping on cups of milk and a eating donuts; some still sat on a plate in front of them.

They both had calmed down a lot since their encounter with Mal-Tech agents a few hours ago. Aelita finally stopped shaking. At the moment she was chewing on her third cinnamon roll. She had not eaten since this morning when she had breakfast at the cafeteria at school. It felt exceptionally good to get something inside her belly.

Jeremy continued to keep an eye on her, making sure she was okay. Even though her appetite was back, which was a very good sign, she still looked weak and gloomy.

"You do know why they put the plate of donuts on the table, don't you, Aelita?" Jeremy tried to cheer Aelita up.

"To eat? To test our guilt?" Aelita wondered. "Or... I don't know. I give up."

"Because they're out of muffins." Jeremy said, reaching for a donut.

Aelita snickered a little at Jeremy's joke. To tell the truth, she didn't feel like laughing, not after what happened before she and Jeremy met the feds. It looked like the scenario that had played out in her nightmares for weeks was about to come true in real life. That notion did not cease to shake her to her very core.

Concerned Jeremy looked across the table. "You okay?"

Aelita's face stiffened. "I'm worried. What with all that has been going on? What if we can't stop Xervix or Mal-Tech?"

"Don't talk like that Aelita. We will stop them-" Jeremy reassured her.

"All my life I have known nothing but fear and loss. I lost my mother, my father, and my past. And I can't lose you, Jeremy…"

Jeremy sighed silently when he heard that. It indicated that her darkest thoughts came back and disturbed her peace of mind. He knew what their source was and was perfectly aware he could not let Aelita sink into them again. Without more deliberation, he walked over to where she was sitting and hugged the depressed girl.

Aelita's eyes grew larger and her face turned lightly red at Jeremy's gesture. She could smell the boy; he smelled like pine trees in the winter around Christmas time. It almost reminded her of home. Aelita closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around Jeremy's.

Jeremy stepped back and used his hand to lift up Aelita's chin so she was looking straight into his deep blue eyes.

"Trust me. We will get through this. I swear to God."

"Jeremy…" Aelita murmured. Her heart started to beat faster as she looked into his face.

She immediately felt warmer inside. Her dark thoughts seemed to fade.

Meanwhile Travis, Jessica and George observed the pair from behind the one way mirror that led into the interrogation room. They were working on a way to interrogate those kids without scaring them or making them think they are their enemies.

George scratched his neck. "When I joined the bureau, it was for homeland security and serving my country. Since when the hell did we take a right turn in the Marvel Universe?"

"Honestly, I thought this case was weird enough." Jessica admitted, "But… Right now it looks like taken from some Japanese anime. It won't surprise me if Goku or Edward Elric show up."

Travis snorted. "Nah. This is a DC Comics situation. Not any of your inferior forms of geek."

"This coming from a fan of a comic base who has Aquaman?" George retorted.

"This from a fan whose comic franchise has Howard the Duck?"

"Hey! Let's forget who is the bigger nerd and focus on these two?" Jessica called the two to order.

George walked over and pulled a file from the suitcase. It contained copies of most of the evidence they had so far and also the files on Aelita and Jeremy.

Jessica took a look at the documents. She noticed a lot of issues with Aelita's file. It was faulty in too many places. She had seen something familiar many times before. After a few background checks, she realized exactly what was wrong.

"Jessica and I will go in," Travis decided. "George, stay out here and make sure we're not disturbed and that none of the local police figure out what's going on. That French Intel agent may have been with Mal-Tech, according to what Frank said. But there is also a possibility that there are other spies in the city who have been looking for them."

Jessica took point and opened the door to the interrogation room. She turned on one of the over headlights to the room, causing the once dark room to brightly light up.

She pulled up a chair as she sat across from Aelita and Jeremy.

Travis walked in right after her and shut the door, carrying another tray of donuts and two fresh glasses of milk. He sat the tray down and passed the glasses of milk to the two teens.

"My name is Officer Hillsabeck, this is Special Agent Dalesman. I am with the CIA and Special Agent Dalesman is with the FBI. Do you speak English?" Jessica began.

"Yes. My name is Jeremy... Jeremy Belpois and this is Aelita... Aelita Schaffer." Jeremy said in the best English he could produce.

"Is it? Or is it Stones?" Jessica asked as she opened up a file.

Jeremy suddenly felt a cold breeze shoot through his spine.

"Aelita Stones, age 13, from Montreal Canada. Cousin to Odd Francis Della Robbia. Mother and father deceased. Living with aunt and uncle whose name for some reason does not appear on the record…" Jessica read and glanced at Aelita.

"We have found the only Aelita Stones in Quebec Canada... and she is seventy-eight years old."

Aelita and Jeremy swallowed hard as they realized that their scheme with Aelita's fake identity was uncovered.

"Yes… we used that to hide Aelita so that the people who kidnapped her mother wouldn't find her. But why did you bring that up?" Jeremy asked.

"We will ask the questions around here...Who created the false information?" Jessica demanded.

"I did," Jeremy said, looking Jessica in her eyes.

"Are you sure? No one else was involved?"

"I came up with the whole plan."

"You do know that data manipulation is a crime, right? And I don't think any judge would hesitate to throw the book at you-"

"Back off a little, Officer Hillsabeck." Travis warned her from the corner.

"What we would like to know is… first, how come is Aelita so young if she should be twenty-five and second, where is her father." Jessica continued.

"Are we in trouble with the file Jeremy created?" Aelita asked timidly.

Jessica was persistent. "Answer my questions first, please."

Travis observed from the corner. It was obvious to him that Jessica was messing up big time and the kids were even more nervous. He knew at any minute they might completely refuse to talk or worse - bolt for the door, and his team may lose their only lead in this weird case.

"We're not answering till you do." Jeremy said, folding his arms.

"When are you two going to stop playing games with us?" Jessica turned to Aelita. "We got your boyfriend there on three counts of cyber crimes and you on identity theft. You can go away for a long time and maybe when you get out, Ms Schaffer, you will be the correct age. Now either answer my question or I will charge you with-"

"Officer Hillsabeck. That's enough." Travis interfered.

"Special Agent Dalesman, I will remind you that-"

"And may I remind _you_ that you're just an analyst and not in charge of this investigation." Travis retorted.

Jessica stared at Travis for a few moments. She sighed heavily as she stood up and walked over to the corner.

Travis opened the door, reached outside and grabbed a silver suitcase. He walked over and set it on the table next to the teens. He turned the suitcase around to the kids so they could see the front of the case, where the initials W.S. and the New Dawn symbol were carved.

"Situations like this arise for full disclosure." Travis said as he sat down across from them. "You're not in trouble. I'm sorry that Officer Hillsabeck came off like that. That's just how those CIA stiffs are trained to interrogate people. And after all, we're both after the same thing."

Aelita glanced at the suitcase. It looked just like the one they found at the train station two years ago – the one that kept her father's diary.

"Where did you find this?" Jeremy asked.

"In America, at a library. It told us a lot about the supercomputer, Mal-Tech, and you, Miss Schaffer." Travis flipped around the suitcase and opened the latches. He reached in and pulled out a photo. On the photo were Aelita at a young age with her mother and father. Aelita was dressed as a fairy as the date read 10/20/1988. Travis handed it over to Aelita.

She remembered this photo. It was taken the night she wore her very own costume made by her mother. She remembered it was one of her favorite Halloween costumes. She was fascinated with mythical animals ever since she was very little.

After that the agent pulled out a small gold and silver necklace they had found in the suitcase. He gave it to Aelita. She glanced at it for a few minutes as a faint memory of her mother, holding her in her arms as an infant came to her mind. Aelita recalled that she used to play with that necklace when her mother would hold and caress her. The sweet memory moved Aelita to tears as she covered her mouth.

"Could we talk now?" Travis asked calmly. He hoped that by showing Aelita her family relics he would earn the kids' trust.

The effort seemed to pay off when Jeremy reached across the table and squeezed Aelita's hand. Aelita looked at Jeremy and nodded.

"Aelita is the daughter of Waldo Schaffer...Who is dead." Jeremy let out the words with a sigh.

Travis looked back and forth between the two teens, confused about what he had just heard.

"How? When?" asked Jessica, who was not less surprised than Travis.

"Eight months ago." Aelita said quietly. "The supercomputer my father spoke of in his notes was ran by an Artificial Intelligence named Xana. It was bent on destroying us. Not just us... humanity as a whole. My father found a way to materialize people onto a virtual realm inside the computer, called Lyoko. I was stuck on Lyoko for years until Jeremy and his friends found me and freed me. Soon after-wards I remembered small fragments of who I was and found my father."

"After two years I discovered a multi purpose program to destroy Xana. Waldo sacrificed his life to help us destroy Xana. But even though we won that day, we in fact failed…" Jeremy said.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Aelita..." Travis turned to her. "May I call you Aelita?"

Aelita nodded in agreement.

Jessica felt horrible. She was treating these kids like common criminals in her interrogation. Now she saw them more as victims rather then criminals.

"So how many of you are in on this?" she asked.

"6 or 7 of us now." Aelita said.

"Can we have their names?"

"Were not going to tell you that." Jeremy refused, fearing that the feds may persecute all their friends as well.

"I'm sorry I came off rough. I spent a few years in the cyber terrorism department. I'm sorry if I offended or hurt either of you." Jessica said.

"First off, none of you are under arrest, nor you will be. This whole situation just turned into something far bigger then a cyber terrorism deal." Travis explained. "Do you know what that bird thing from yesterday was?"

"A month ago a new A.I named Xervix that may have been built by Mal-Tech was sent to our computer. We have been fighting it ever since, recently though Xervix and its forces escaped from the computer to this world. The bird man is called Aether, and there are four others. Xervix is after the System... a source of energy that can either change the world or destroy it." Jeremy said.

"Your father's journal did mention a System of some shape or form and how Mal-Tech wanted it as well." Jessica turned in Aelita's direction.

"Xervix knows where it's at... and so do we." Aelita said.

Travis was shocked. "Where? Did Frank tell you?"

Jessica grunted, gathering Travis's attention. The two agents left the room and stepped out to the hallway, where George was observing from behind the one way mirror.

"I'm sorry, Travis, but we need some form of proof before we just believe these. Kids and all."

"I agree. I mean, do you trust them?" George looked at his colleague.

"Well… in this day and age, and after what we saw, how can you _not _believe in what they're saying?" Travis said.

"We need to see the proof with our own eyes." Jessica argued.

Travis walked back in to the room and sat down in front of the kids. He glanced at Jeremie and Aelita; they both stared back at him.

"It's really a fascinating and incredible story, but me and my colleagues need some form of proof that it's all true."

Aelita and Jeremy looked at each other and back towards the agents.

"Let's go for a ride then," said Jeremy.

_Amines, Kadic Academy._

The hallway to the girls' dorms was quiet. Most of the children were outside the school, enjoying their day off from the barrage of classes and homework. Despite that, a tall man wearing a pair of jogging pants and a red shirt walked the halls slowly and was making his round. Even though a majority of the students were out and about in the town, some decided to stay in their rooms and either surf the internet or hang out in their rooms and try to stay cool.

"Even with the dam air on it's still extremely hot in here." Jim murmured to himself.

A small mirror poked around the corner of the hallway. It kept a close eye on Jim as he walked down towards the exit.

Jim opened the door and stepped inside the hallway that led down to the staircase on the opposite end of the floor.

Odd slowly poked his head around the corner, followed by William's head as well.

"Think he is gone?" William asked.

"If it's two o'clock, he probably went down to the cafeteria to get his lunch... but with Jim you never know. His gut runs on a different timer then most people's do." Odd said.

The two teens slowly stepped around the corner of the hallway and walked down to the fourth door on the right. William looked around for any sign of Jim or anyone who might get them in trouble.

Odd knocked on the door. He could hear some shuffling around inside the room. The door slowly cracked open to reveal the face of a black haired girl wearing a green type substance on her face.

"Hi Sis-"

Sissi slammed the door in Odd's face.

"That is a clear sign of go away." William joked.

Odd knocked again as he tried to get Sissi to open the door.

"Go away, Odd!" Sissi barked.

"Sissi come on... we just want to talk." Odd pleaded her.

"I don't want to talk... go save the world or whatever!"

"Sissi, we're sorry about last night. We all wanted to talk to you about this, but we figured it would be better if I and Odd talked to you. Can you at least open the door and listen to us?" William asked.

There was a silent pause coming from inside the room.

"Sissi, you just caught us at a wrong time and... I'M SORRY!" Odd did not give up.

William gave Odd a confused look.

"Uhh… I mean, WE are sorry." Odd corrected himself.

The door opened all the way, revealing Sissi wearing a pair of shorts and a pink tank top.

Odd looked up at Sissi's face with puppy-like eyes. "I… I want you to help us. Please... We need you."

Sissi stared at Odd with a hint of disbelief in her eyes. Odd had always joked and tormented her, whether it was when she flirted with Ulrich or tried to get the gang in trouble. And yet here and now he was acting differently.

"Odd's right, Sissi. We want you to join us." William said. "I think Odd wants that more than any of us."

Odd quickly slugged William in the shoulder as William laughed at him.

Sissi smiled lightly as she noticed the hint from both of the boys. It was true that in some way she actually cared for Odd.

"I'll do it." she declared.

Odd and William looked at Sissi for a few moments.

"I'm in!" she repeated in case they did not catch that piece of information. "I'm not gonna rat you guys out or try to do what I used to do. I want to make sure you're all safe."

Odd smiled; he jumped forward and hugged Sissi. Sissi began to blush a as the blonde teen squealed for joy.

"Looks like you don't need to worry about Ulrich anymore." William said.

Odd suddenly realized what he was doing and let go quickly.

"Um, sorry, I... I tripped." Odd said as he blushed hard.

"Smooth recovery." William muttered to himself. He turned to Sissi. "Let's take you to the factory. The others will be meeting us there shortly."

"Hang on, let me get some pants on. No way I'm walking out in these shorts," Sissi said as she shut the door.

Odd slowly turned to William.

"What?" asked William as he did not quite understand the meaning of Odd's frowny face.

"If you tell anyone that I have a crush on her…" Odd whispered.

"Oh. I'll use it as my own little ammunition when the time is right." William sneered.

"So will I," a voice said from behind them.

Both boys turned around to see Tanell, who was standing behind them with a smug look on her face. She wore a bright yellow shirt and a denim skirt.

"Mister Shorty and Miss Baby in love... how sick." Tanell said with a heavy accent on 'sick'.

"What's your business, Lewis?" William asked.

"As far as I remember, boys are not allowed up on this floor unless accompanied by an adult. So I feel like I may go tell Jim about this... Maybe he will give you some detention, or suspend you if we are lucky... I mean, if _I am_ lucky. Two less freaks in the school to deal with." Tanell said smugly.

"Okay, Paris Hilton. What do you want?" William demanded.

"Oh, it's not what I want... see, I want to help a friend out as well," Tanell said. "I want to free Ulrich from that emo creep Ishiyama."

"What the hell? Why do the snobby brats want Ulrich so much? Why not Jeremy or you for once?" Odd whispered to his companion.

"No way! I would rather get in trouble than try to help you hurt my friends." William said aloud.

"Same here. Actually I would rather kiss a toilet then help you." Odd said, folding his arms.

"Well then, I guess it's off to the principal's office for you." Tanell teased as she walked off.

"You just don't learn, do you?" Sissi asked as she suddenly stepped out of her room.

Tanell turned around to face Sissi.

"Oh look. The Baby is here too."

"Hey you, dirty smelling brat! If you mention a word of William and Odd here, I will spill your little secret too!" Sissi said, pointing towards Tanell.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Tanell gave Sissi a suspicious glance.

"Should I remind you? Let's see. You left your door opened and I looked inside your room and there on your desk was a My Little-"

"Shut up, Delmas! You mention a word-"

"You'll do what? See, even though I don't act like it anymore... I can still be quite the brat myself. And I don't think you're gonna mention anything about my friends up here, are you?" Sissi asked.

"Oh I won't, but I'm sure people will jump when they find Della Robbia has a crush on you." Tanell said provocatively.

Sissi was not going to let Tanell win. She turned and walked over to Odd. She bent down and kissed Odd square on the lips.

Odd's eyes bulged out of his head as he felt his lips touch Sissi's soft ruby lips.

William couldn't believe it either. He chuckled a little as he looked back and forth between Sissi and the dumb stricken Tanell.

Sissi finally released her kiss on Odd and turned to face Tanell.

"So what? I like him too."

Tanell grunted and turned to leave the hallway, her stomping echoed down the hall.

"Nice one…" said William with admiration.

Odd just stood there in the same position he was in when Sissi kissed him. His reaction almost mimicked Jeremy's when Aelita first kissed him.

"Hey, you guys gonna stand there all day or take me to the factory?" Sissi asked.

William noticed Odd not moving an inch, still in the upright kiss position. He walked over and picked up the paralyzed friend. The three walked to the doorway.

_Amines, the neighborhood of the factory._

The black Mustang pulled into the entrance of the city park. The gravel snapped and popped as the cars tires ran over it. The car drove past a large group of joggers as the driver revved up the engine of the car, startling a few of the joggers.

There were a lot of people in the park. An old man and his grandson sat on the shore fishing; a couple of lovers where making out on the bench; a soccer game between several small children went on in the distance.

The Mustang passed by the crowded part of the park and drove down a side path, which was rougher then the rest of the paths. Tall thick grass grew along the path and the road was filled with various potholes.

The Black muscle car stopped in front of an old, rotten, wooden fence. Jeremy, Aelita and three agents got out. Travis walked up to the gate. He noticed a small wooden sign that read "Hermitage". The sign was sun faded and worn from the years of being out in the open.

"What is this?" Jessica asked.

Aelita and Jeremy walked through the gate and stepped on the porch. The porch creaked and moaned from their weight.

"Home" Aelita said as she opened the door.

They walked inside the front room. The once warm place she called home was a ruined mess. On the floor lay a lot of weeds and leaves. Jeremy heard a loud noise coming from below the floor board. Aelita caught the site of a mouse on the sofa, scurrying about.

For a second though, Aelita saw a hint of her past life flash before her eyes. She caught a glimmer of the front room, clean and fresh. Bright, warm sunlight filled the window, adding more light to the house.

Suddenly the sound of a piano filled Aelita's ears. Aelita turned around to see her father playing a familiar tune on the family piano. Waldo glanced up and smiled warmly at Aelita before fading away with the rest of her sweet, warm memories.

Aelita sighed and frowned as reality set in. She glanced around, hoping to find some possible hint on her past. She felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulder. Aelita looked to her left to see a concerned Jeremy looking at her. Aelita felt a few tears roll down her check as she leaned her head onto his shoulder.

Travis, Jessica and George walked inside the doorway and glanced around. Most of the furniture was destroyed and ruined and parts of the wall had been removed.

"Is this where you lived?" Jessica asked Aelita.

Aelita nodded.

"I guess Mal-Tech found out you lived here. It shows all the signs of forced entry and searching every nook for something," George said as he looked inside the kitchen.

"So sad." Jessica said as she looked at a shattered picture frame.

"I've been hiding my whole life... All I wanted was a normal life..." Aelita said, still holding on to Jeremy.

"We can help you. Just tell us what we need to know." Travis said.

"You mean it?" Aelita asked looking at Travis.

Travis nodded as he placed his hand on Aelita's shoulder.

"It all started 300 million years ago." Aelita said as she started to explain what happened.

_Amines, the school track field._

Yumi was running along the track in the middle of the exercise yard. She wore a black work out bra with matching black spandex shorts. In her ear was a pair of ear buds hooked up to her Zune. She was currently listening to The Rolling Stones, Give Me Shelter. She had been listening to a lot of classic rock recently. She was particularly fond of The Rolling Stones and Queen.

As Yumi finished her eighth lap around the track, she stopped dead at the finish line and wiped out large sweat drops which streamed down her forehead. She turned back and looked down the lane towards the other person who was running with her.

As he was getting closer to the finish line, Ulrich panted heavily. When he finally reached the line, he stopped and lurched over, grabbing his knees and trying to catch his breath. His stomach ached from the intense running and heat. However, his knees hurt even more. He almost rolled his ankle earlier and it caused him to shift his weight onto his knees.

Yumi walked over and handed her boyfriend a cold bottle of water. Ulrich took the bottle and took a small swig from it. Ulrich handed the bottle back to Yumi who took a swig from it herself.

"Not so easy once your here in the real world, huh?" Yumi asked.

"Hey when I'm on Lyoko, I can run like a fox." Ulrich retorted, gasping for air after each sentence.

"But we aren't on Lyoko, are we?"

"Excuse me, but if I ever need to lift a log off of me or someone, I can do it." Ulrich said as he wiped his face with his shirt.

Yumi walked over to the bench and sat on it. "Okay, when there is a Zombie apocalypse, I'll make sure to save you when I sprint here to the school."

Ulrich straightened up, as his body was slowly coming back to its normal functioning. He came over to the bench. "Hey, we lived that part for two years, remember?"

"Which by the way is nothing compared to the horror movies. Zombies are so easy to fight.

I fought six of them at once." Yumi grabbed her gym bag and pulled out her sweat pants.

"I need a shower so bad...Why is it so HOT!"

"I don't know… why are _you_ so hot?" Ulrich joked.

Yumi giggled as she leaned over and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek.

"So sweet... yet so corny."

"Eh… I try." Ulrich said as he grabbed his gym bag.

The two teens left the empty, sun-burnt track and walked up the hill towards the locker rooms. With the heat as bad as it was, Yumi was hesitant if they really should have ran today. Ulrich insisted, though. Now, although they were exhausted and sticky from the sweat, she was glad he convinced her. It was nice to spend free time with Ulrich.

They were walking over to the front gate to the tack field when suddenly, Ulrich's phone rang inside his duffel bag. Ulrich reached for the phone. He recognized the caller's ID.

"Hello? Dad?" said Ulrich, surprised. It gathered Yumi's attention.

"_Hey, Ulrich. How's it going?"_

"Uh… I'm okay, Dad." replied Ulrich, who was still confused by his father's sudden call.

Yumi's eyes locked onto Ulrich as she understood who he was talking to.

"And how have you been doing?" Ulrich asked.

"_Well… Rehab is going okay. It was rough at first but it's starting to waver off. I was told it is for the best."_ Ulrich's stepfather said.

"Good," answered Ulrich, who still did not know how to feel about this conversation. "Have you talked to mom recently?"

"_She actually visited me last night. We're going to try and work things out… if we can salvage anything from this."_ Ulrich's father said.

"_Listen, Ulrich... I know I haven't always really treated you like I should have. I promised your real father that I would take care of you, and..." _Ulrich's father breathed heavily. _"When my brother and your father died, I fell into a very deep depression. I turned to alcohol a few weeks after Eric's death... But what I did and the way I acted was no excuse for what I put you and your mother through."_

Ulrich lowered his head as he realized just what was going on. For the first time his stepfather actually tried to apologize. It was something he had never done before.

"Look...Eric I-"

"_I just wanted you to know that… I'm sorry for it all… and… I really am proud of you. And I'm happy that you're dating that Yumi... Eh… how do you pronounce her name?"_

"Ishiyama, Eric… and thanks. She helped me out a lot in the past few months." Ulrich said, looking at Yumi. Yumi smiled as she listened to the words come out of Ulrich's mouth.

"_Oh, and when I get out… would you two like to meet so… I could meet Yumi?"_ Eric asked shyly.

"I'll ask her, but… sure, why not?" Ulrich said.

"_Great. Maybe I could even meet the rest of your friends? Possibly another time though... _

_I don't want to rush into this or anything." _

"Alright, sounds good. Sorry, but I gotta go, I'll talk to you later." Ulrich said.

"_OK... Love you Ulrich."_ Eric said.

Ulrich paused as he processed the words his father had just said. He had never heard those words from him before. He found it hard to believe.

„_You still there?"_ Eric broke the awkward silence that fell between them.

"Yeah… Uh... I love you too, Dad."

Ulrich heard the line go dead as he put his cell phone back in his duffel bag. He glanced up at a smiling Yumi.

"Sounds like your uncle is trying to make amends for what happened in the past." Yumi said.

"Yeah..." Ulrich sighed, still a bit overwhelmed by his stepfather's words.

A few moments passed when Yumi's cell phone suddenly went off. Yumi grabbed her cell phone and noticed that it was Jeremy who was calling.

"Busy day, huh?" Ulrich commented.

Yumi answered her phone.

"Hey Jer. How are your parents?" There was a long pause. "What?" Yumi's voice changed dramatically. Ulrich realized that something was wrong.

"I'm glad you two are OK", Yumi sighed with relief. "Wait, who? The feds Sissi mentioned?"

Ulrich raised his shoulders as he tried to get Yumi to say just what was going on.

"O-okay. Are you sure about this?" Yumi asked, thrilled. "Don't worry, we will be right there. See ya!" Yumi hung up.

"What is going on?" Ulrich raised an eyebrow.

Yumi held her phone and seeked the right words to pass what she was just told.

"Aelita and Jeremy met with the agents from the FBI. They want to help because they're investigating Franz Hopper and, from what I heard, the agency that kidnapped Aelita's mother. We're supposed to meet with them in the factory."

Ulrich's eyes got bigger when he heard the news. That was quite an unexpected turn of events.

"Okay, let's not waste any time. Let's shower and head over there then." he suggested.

_The factory, 30 minutes later._

William, Sissi and Odd were the first ones to arrive at the lab. Sissi walked inside and took a look at the equipment of the lab. She was amazed at how advanced it was.

"Pretty cool, huh?" William asked.

"It looks like something Iron Man uses." amazed Sissi said.

Suddenly, a voice came out of nowhere. "Hey, who's the babe?"

"Who said that?" Sissi turned in search of the source of the voice.

She only saw Odd and William, who were acting as if they were not surprised at all.

"It's our other newest member. An artificial intelligence who is a bit of an annoyance… his name is Puck," William explained.

"Wait? Puck? What kind of a name is Puck?" Sissi asked.

"And I don't know what kind of a name is Elizabeth." The voice mocked.

The main screen blinked as a window opened up, revealing an elf like boy.

"Puck...Wait, how do you know her name?" Odd asked.

"Ms Elizabeth S. Delmas. Born November 21st 1995. Father is Mr. Jean Pierre Delmas, principal at Kadic Academy. Mother deceased," Puck recited effortlessly.

"OK, that's enough... How did it know all of that?" Sissi asked.

"First off, HE... not IT." William corrected her.

"I have read all of the schools files on a majority of the staff and students, also I integrated myself into the school's computer systems." Puck said as he pulled up a series of codes for the kids to see.

"Hey… that can help us on our tests," Odd wondered.

"Nah, sorry. Looks like all the test answers are kept on paper instead of computer." Puck said.

"Clever, teachers... very clever" said William, clearly disappointed.

Then the vault door opened, revealing Ulrich and Yumi. The two teens had showered and changed from their sports outfits into their everyday clothes. They dropped off their duffel bags and walked inside the lab.

"Hey, Sissi." Yumi said as she sat on the cot in the corner.

"Hi guys." Sissi greeted her, trying not to make eye contact. She remembered the tongue lashing she received from Ulrich and Yumi the night before she helped Odd defeat Aether.

"Hey Sissi... we're sorry about the other night. We just didn't want anyone else get caught up in this mess." Ulrich said.

"It's OK. Just remember who your friends are next time." Sissi said.

"We are truly glad to have you." Yumi said as she rubbed her calf.

"And we all know Odd is." William commented.

Odd shot William a hateful glare as he tried to get William to shut up about it.

"You mention anything, William..." Odd grunted.

"Oh, about with the girls floor?"

"What happened?" Yumi asked, noticing that Sissi was blushing.

"Next time Odd asks about the pool, ask him about the girls' floor," William snickered.

"The Pool? You mean the time Ulrich drowned?" Sissi asked.

"No, actually when Yumi and Ulrich first got together... They were swimming and they..."

"Hey William, what happened on the girls floor?" Ulrich asked out loud.

Odd quickly shut up.

"You'll get used to this... Sometimes it's quite entertaining actually." Yumi told Sissi.

"Hope so… What else do I need to know to stay on this team?" Sissi asked.

"Well, Sissi... Can you keep a secret?"

_Amines, the factory._

The black Mustang pulled into the deserted parking lot of the factory. It was the only part of the industrial complex that the gang never attempted to clean up, helping with the illusion that no one had entered the factory in years. Weeds cracked through old, sun bleached pavement. The fence border lining the lake next to the factory was rusted and broken in several places.

The Mustang rolled into the middle parking lot as its tire flattened an old soda can. George and Travis exited the car and opened rear doors. Jessica, Aelita and Jeremy stepped out as well.

"Hey wait, George...You can't park here." Jessica noticed.

George looked around, surprised. "Why not?"

"Because you're in a handicapped parking zone." Jessica replied, pointing at the rusted bent sign in front of the car.

George looked at the sign. "Come on, that doesn't matter anymore. This place is closed."

"OK, when you get a ticket, then you will be sorry." Jessica answered.

Aelita glanced over at Travis, who had his face buried in his palm in embarrassment.

"Are they married?" Jeremy asked, observing George and Jessica, who continued to argue.

"No... And don't put that evil on them. Two of them are bad enough." warned Travis.

"OK then, do you want to know what I think of your sign?" George said as he picked up a rock off the ground and tossed it at the sign. The small rock made a loud ping noise as the sign shook a little. "That's what I think of your sign!"

Then, the sign slowly fell over onto the chain fence, causing the entire fence line to land onto the rocks next to the water line. Water and debris flew into the air.

George's eyes grew large at the site of the damage he had just done. He slowly turned to confused Travis and Jessica. Aelita and Jeremy froze in place as they realized just what happened.

"Uh I… think the fence... fell over…" George said.

"YOU THINK! YOU HAD TO SHOW OFF, DIDN'T YOU!" Jessica shouted.

"Great... that happened to be our fishing and swimming spot. I hope you're happy." Aelita grunted.

"Hey, it's... not like that-" stuttered George, sincerely sorry.

"Unless you want to break something else… this way." Jeremy showed the way.

Jeremy and Aelita lead the trio into the factory's main chamber. The inside of the factory was dark and scary.

"On." Jeremy said. The lights in the factory lit dimly, enough for the five to see where they where heading.

Aelita walked over to the elevator. She revealed a small panel and placed her palm on a clear green plastic touch pad. A bright yellow light went up and down her palm as the screen blinked. When Aelita removed her palm, the panel read

"_Aelita. Welcome to the Lab"._

"Where did you find all of this stuff?" Travis asked.

Jeremy smiled. "Here and there."

When the elevator rose up to the top floor, the awaiting passengers entered. The elevator door slid shut as it lowered down a few feet. It came to a halt just in front of a large copper colored door. The three agents looked at the door in amazement. It reminded them of something taken from a military base or a science fiction novel. Hell, it looked more like the door to the bat cave.

Aelita typed in a series of numbers into another keypad next to the door. Bolts of electricity coursed through the various circuits in the door. A large puff of steam hissed from the door as it slid open, revealing a large, dimly lit room with a computer screen in the middle of it.

"Welcome to the Lab." Jeremy said as they stepped inside.

The three agents instantly caught a glimpse of other kids, who were waiting for them in the lab - two girls and three boys. They stared at the agents in confusion; obviously, they pondered how they should react.

"Special Agent Dalesman, Special Agent Knight, and Officer Hillsabeck of the CIA", Jeremy introduced the agents to his friends. "Meet Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, William Dunbar, and Odd Della Robbia. And I believe you already met Sissi," he introduced the members of the gang.

George noticed Sissi, standing over near Odd. He walked over to greet the young girl and shook her hand.

"Miss Delmas... Nice to see you again."

Jessica came closer to examine the supercomputer's screen and the holomap. She turned to Jeremy and Aelita. "What on Earth is this?"

"You're looking at my father's work. This is what Mal-Tech wanted for so long... This is Lyoko." Aelita said.

"Well, not Lyoko per se. This is the computer that helps run it." Jeremy came over to the keyboard that was placed under the screen. "The main computer is downstairs." He typed in a series of commands that brought up images from surveillance cameras in the main computer room and showed Jessica a tall, tower-like device that was the supercomputer.

Curious Sissi walked closer and stared at the screen, awestruck. "Wow. That thing is huge... How did one man manage to build it?"

"We think he had help, possibly a lab assistant… or maybe a whole crew." Travis said.

Overhearing their conversation, Yumi frowned.

"OK, hang on! What's you three's take on all of this? Why are you here? Why were you after Jeremy and Aelita?" she asked the agents.

Her question gathered everyone else's attention. Everyone's eyes were locked on the newcomers. Travis gulped, slightly overwhelmed by the wary faces that looked at him all at the same time.

"Jeremy and Aelita told us a lot about you and your cause. We are on your side." Jessica said.

Aelita stepped in front of the agents. "I trust them, guys. They are here to help us."

"We owe you kids an explanation. We're sorry." added Travis. He calmed down, seeing how wariness of the group seemed to fade as their faces and postures relaxed.

"We were investigating a series of high tech facilities that were destroyed around the world. All the facilities were equipped with computers similar to what you kids have here. They were created by Waldo Schaffer, also know as Franz Hopper, Aelita's father. The investigation eventually led us to you."

Jeremy slowly looked around towards Travis. "Wait. How many computers were destroyed exactly?"

"Uh… Six. One in Brazil. One in North America, another in China, in Europe and in the western part of North America," Travis counted. "And one even on the international space station. Even though the station wasn't destroyed, the computer was."

"Jeremy… doesn't that sound familiar?" Ulrich asked silently.

Jeremy exchanged a knowing look. The three agents glanced at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" George asked.

Jeremy sighed deeply. "When Xana escaped from Lyoko, it started to contaminate other supercomputers. It was planning a massive invasion. In order to stop it, we had to damage the hard drives of machines it took over. But I swear, none of us destroyed any bases."

"That must be how Mal-Tech found your location, through small fragments you left inside these computers. Then they erased all evidence of their acts." Jessica observantly said.

"Hey, maybe that's where Xervix came from." William noticed.

"Who is Xervix? Isn't he the new threat you're fighting?" Travis asked.

"Yes. He's a more advanced version of Xana, based upon Xana's source code. He created Aether, the flying bird man you guys saw the other day, and now that he is out of the computer, he is heading towards the System. And we're the only ones who can stop them." Odd explained.

"How does an A.I come to Earth in a real form?" Jessica wondered.

It was Jeremy's turn to answer. "I created a program a while back which helps transfer the A.I's program into a physical manifestation of its own. It helped us free Aelita, but I'm afraid that it created a door for Xervix to escape."

Travis looked behind him at Jessica and George. They both stood their in disbelief, unsure what to make of it.

"OK, it's a nice story and all but... we're still waiting for you to prove the existence of this… virtual universe." George reminded the kids of their agreement.

Jeremy sat down on his armchair. He nodded at Aelita. She gathered Yumi, Ulrich and Odd and together they walked over to the elevator. William decided to stay on Earth; he came closer to Jeremy's seat. Sissi and the three agents stared at the closing door.

"Um...Where are they going?" Sissi asked when the elevator's door shut.

"You wanted proof, you're about to get it." Jeremy said, then he turned to the console and typed a series of commands. A camera view showed the agents and Sissi what was going on inside the scanner room.

"What are you doing?" Jessica asked.

"I'm sending Ulrich, Yumi, Odd and Aelita to Lyoko. Then I'm gonna transfer them here for you to see." Jeremy explained as the 4 teens' vitals and stats appeared on screen.

As soon as the computer booted up the program, a loud hissing noise came from down below the lab. No sooner then it did, a large holographic map appeared. The map showed 4 sectors, a middle sector, and five run off sectors. The map closed in on a smaller sector and showed 4 small green dots standing in what looked like the middle sector.

"Now that they're in sector 5, I'll bring them here to Earth." Jeremy said as he typed in several more codes. "Activate towers, please," he commanded.

On the computer terminal, a small red dot appeared on one of the sub sectors to the mountain region, the cave sector.

"I'm launching the code and the three of them will appear here in their virtual forms." Jeremy hit the Enter key.

The computer started to make a loud hissing noise as it prepared to work its magic.

A few seconds later, several bright beams of light appeared in the corner. The lights began to form four separate points. The lights started slow but eventually began to pick up speed. Then, all of the sudden, the beams exploded, causing George and Travis to reach for their pistols.

"And… here they are." Jeremy announced.

The three agents glanced back to see what looked like 4 teens wearing Halloween costumes.

It looked like an effect out of Star Trek. The beams grew brighter and began to take shape.

Travis squinted as he looked at the beams. He could make out a hand, a body, a face.

The light faded as the 4 beams turned into Odd, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich in their virtual forms. Sissi stood in awe as her eyes fixated on the 4 virtual warriors.

"Hi!" Yumi waved to the new people.

Travis and George removed their hands off their weapons.

Jeremy spun around in his chair and looked towards the 3 dumbfounded agents and Sissi.

"Told ya!" Odd laughed.

Travis approached the four teens and walked over to Yumi who was closest to him. He reached out and poked her in the shoulder. To his amazement, she felt real, yet something was off, as if her skin was made of something other then flesh. He poked her again, but harder. To his surprise, Yumi winced.

"Hey, cut it out." she grunted.

"Are these your real forms?" George asked as he walked behind Aelita and Ulrich.

"While in the computer, yes." Jeremy explained. "Their real bodies are broken down and stored into what we call a virtual soul. It serves as a storage unit for their DNA. These virtual bodies are formed around their virtual soul... Once the body is destroyed or devirtualized, the virtual soul is sent back to the scanner where their real bodies reform."

George looked over Ulrich. He was impressed with their looks. If someone told him without showing, he wouldn't believe it at all. George was walking past Aelita when he spotted Odd. He stared for a minute at the apparent cat boy.

"How come he looks like a samurai, she-" he pointed at Yumi- "looks like a ninja. Aelita is a pink warrior elf… and you look like a _cat_?"

Odd shrugged. "I have no idea… It's just wrong. I mean, I like dogs, not freaking cats!"

"What kind of weapons do you have?" Travis asked.

Ulrich drew his double swords; his fast movement made Jessica squeal and make a few steps backwards. The blades were giving off their own virtual shine, which stood out in the darkness of the lab.

Yumi presented her fans. "I throw them at my enemy... I won't try that here, don't worry," she calmed Travis, who gave her an unsure look.

Aelita stretched her arm and focused for a moment. Then, a shiny ball of pink light appeared on her palm.

"I call it an Energy Field," she explained.

"It's beautiful", commented Jessica, who peeked from behind George's back. Luckily for her, Ulrich already put his swords back into their sheaths.

Odd took his usual fighting stance with his one arm stretched and his head cocked to the side as if he was aiming. "I shoot arrows out. Kind of like bullets."

"Cool," said George with admiration. He looked as if he was a teenage boy himself again.

Then, he spotted the tail on the back of Odd. He noticed how it actually wagged back and forth. "Is that real?"

"You either pull it or step on it... I'll make you regret you did."

"Like this?" William joked as he came closer to Odd and pulled his tail a little. Odd yipped just a bit as his tail pulled out from back and forced some tension.

"Hey, Will, I'll beat you up for that!"

"I think it's cool actually," Sissi said as she glanced at Odd's claw hands.

"See? That's one who likes it. Two, counting me!" Odd held up his hand with two fingers up.

"That's probably all it will ever get." Ulrich joined in.

He and William burst into laughter; Yumi hardly restrained herself. Aelita turned to Jeremy, who covered his face. They both tried so hard not to laugh.

More snickering came from the others as Odd groaned deeply. Even Sissi was trying so hard not to laugh; tears began to form in her eyes from the laughter.

"Hey, Odd, was it? Do you need to use the litter box in that outfit?" Travis joked.

About that time Yumi lost it as she fell on the cot, laughing, William hung off Ulrich as they both continued to chuckle loudly.

"You keep it up, I'm gonna throw a litter box at you guys." Odd growled.

"Oh, I can tell I'm gonna like these guys already!" Ulrich said, almost choking.

Suddenly, he stopped. His virtual body flickered and fizzed; shortly afterwards it disappeared, shattering in dozens of little pieces.

Laughter silenced all of a sudden when everybody looked at the empty place where Ulrich stood just a few seconds ago. Odd was pointing at it with his arrow cannon.

The agents stared at him with their mouths open in shock.

"Well... you've just been presented how de-virtualization looks like," Jeremy explained calmly. "Don't worry, Ulrich's gonna be okay."

Soon Ulrich climbed up from the scanner room and emerged from the shaft at the other end of the lab.

"What's gotten into you, Odd? Why did you shoot me!"

"See? That's what happens when you make the kitty angry," William joked.

However, his joke did not have that big impact anymore. The entire company finally became serious. Jeremy figured out that would be the end of demonstration. He typed in more commands to launch the materialization program. Aelita, Odd and Yumi disappeared in a series of pixel like clusters. A few moments later, the three got out of the elevator and walked inside the lab.

"Wow… Okay, back to the serious business." said Travis, still quite shaken by what he was just shown. "What about this Xervix and his minions? How can you stop them without them returning to the computer and doing it all over again?"

"Nothing really...There is really no guarantee that they won't just re-emerge from the computer..." Jeremy said.

"Hey, if they forced their way out... Why not force them back in?" Sissi asked.

Jeremy looked up at Sissi as he thought about what she had just said. He thought about it hard for a minute until he suddenly realized just what exactly he could do.

"That's it! We _could_ force them back into Lyoko... Like a wormhole. If we could somehow create a way to suck in creatures with a virtual base code, then we could pull them all in at once!"

"And how in the hell would that work?" Jessica asked, folding her arms.

"Anything from Lyoko is based upon a special virtual code that signifies that it's from Lyoko. It's the only way for it to get through the computer's firewall. It's how Xervix got into Lyoko, because he is based upon XANA's source code. We just need to find out how to create a wormhole!" Aelita explained, wrapping her arm around Jeremy.

"If those... phone booths downstairs can send people to Lyoko, why not reprogram it to pull something in with the code?" Sissi suggested.

"Bringing her in was definitely a smart idea." said Yumi, who was impressed with Sissi's creativity. Sissi returned the gratitude with a warm smile.

"The only problem is the Titans. I would guess they're based off DNA and not a source code." William said.

"Right, and it wouldn't work on them like it would with Xervix... That I'm stuck on." Jeremy admitted. "Any thoughts?"

The lab was silent for a few minutes as the entire group tried to devise a possible strategy for the Titans.

Sissi looked around and noticed everyone in the lab was staring at her.

"Don't look at me. I'm fresh out of ideas." she said, breaking the silence.

"Why can't we just blow them up or something?" George asked.

"FINALLY! Someone gets it. You can destroy them the same way you can any monster!" a high-pitched voice came out of nowhere.

Surprised George looked around hastily. "Who said that?"

Aelita walked over to the computer terminal and hit a series of commands on the computer.

A small boy appeared on the screen in a new window that popped up. His face looked young, very puppet-like, and had a mop of light purple hair on his head.

"I did," he spoke.

"Sorry...We forgot to tell you… This is Puck, our A.I friend." Aelita introduced him to the agents. "Puck, they are-"

"Special Agent George Knight. Age 34. Birth place Houston Texas. Single, Joined the FBI at age 27." Puck recited effortlessly. George blinked in amazement.

"Officer Jessica Hillsabeck. Age 29, birthplace St Louis Missouri.. Joined the CIA at age 25. Started in the Cyber Terrorism branch, working on identity theft and Data manipulation. And Travis Dalesman, age 35. Born in Chicago Illinois. Married to Wendy Engels...Wife deceased..."

"I think you made your point. Thank you." Travis made Puck stop reading the info the AI gathered about him.

Jessica stood there with her mouth wide open. She turned to Jeremy. "How did he know all that? He's amazing!"

"He is a computer intelligence... I'm sure he found out a lot about you through the internet," Jeremy replied.

"Thank you, thank you," Puck bowed in front of them a couple of times. "Nice to meet you, dear agents. About time. Now excuse me."

He clapped his tiny hands and, as if at his order, a new window came up, big enough to cover most of the main screen.

It presented a comparison of a Kankerlat and the Titan Aether. Kankerlat's code was only a small cluster of circles, squares and triangles with a thin white line running through them. Aether's code consisted of a large series of circles, squares and triangles. However, they had the same thin line running through them, only more scattered and with several breaks inside its line.

"While I was digging around and checking the computer's history files, I noticed that the Titans are really 4 Scyphozoans with artificial DNA inside them. They're not A. Is, but copies of certain codes of Xervix's own source code."

Then, a third code which represented Xervix appeared next to Aether's. They had many similarities, but Xervix's code was much more intricate, with several blue and gray number codes running through it. His code ran in a more thick and stable line.

"The Titans' code is more unstable. It's basically the code that controls everything from movement, to attacks. If you were to damage them enough, they would explode the same way as a Kankerlat or Krab." Jeremy realized as he looked at the screens.

Travis peeked from behind Jeremy's armchair.

"OK, so we got a plan how to deal with Xervix. Now what about the System?"

"Frank told us its location…" Aelita said.

"Who is Frank?" Sissi raised an eyebrow.

Jeremy sighed. He didn't really want to bring up this day's events, but he had no other choice now.

"This morning we ran into Mal-Tech agents. Aelita's mother's kidnappers. They tried to snatch us as well."

The others stood in shock over what they had just heard. Yumi put her hand on Aelita's shoulder as she showed her sympathy for her friend.

"You guys are OK?" William asked.

"Yeah… thanks to Frank. He helped us escape from those men in black." Jeremy said with relief.

Aelita leaned on his shoulder. Jeremy knew it was painful for her to listen to this again, so he tried to sum up the events quickly.

"His name is Frank Morse. He told us he knew Aelita's parents. He's the one who put Mister Puck inside the supercomputer." _Yeah_, Puck squeaked. Jeremy continued. "He led us to the agents, who told us a lot about Aelita's father and what they knew about the case. He also helped us understand the System and Avatar-Observer deal."

"We owe him a lot," admitted Travis. "Anyway… you said he revealed to you where the System is. Where is it hidden, then?"

"Area 51. " Aelita whispered.

Hearing that, the others let out a murmur of surprise. The group wondered sometimes where the System might have been hidden. It never came across their minds that it might be found in one of the most mysterious places on the entire planet Earth.

"Um... But… there is no Area 51." Travis opposed.

"Oh, come on. It's in every sci-fi movie and book. Everyone knows about it!" Odd blared out.

"We are serious. There is no Area 51." George insisted.

"Bah, come on. It's where you keep the aliens and the UFO that crashed in...Oh what was it called?" Odd asked.

"Rosswell?" proposed Travis.

"Yeah, that's it, Rosswell. And it's where you also keep Walt Disney head." Odd informed the blankly staring agents.

"Odd!" Jeremy tried to get the blonde's attention.

"It's where the Men in Black... The alien hunters not the Aelita hunters are. You know where they are." Odd insisted as he poked Travis repeatedly in the chest.

"Mister... Della Robbia, was it? Regardless of what you have read or seen, I swear on the bible itself that there is no alien cover up... And there is no Area 51." Travis said as he tried to defend himself against Odd's prods. "Why are you still doing that?"

Odd poked harder. "I'm gonna poke the truth out of you. I know you're lying. And I bet that any possible superheroes are there as well."

"ODD! You're not helping!" Jeremy shouted.

Not until Travis slapped Odd's hand out of the way did Odd stop poking him.

"Did you like to eat paint chips as a kid or something?" asked Travis angrily.

"No... pure sugar."

Ulrich and Yumi slapped themselves in the forehead at the same time. It was so embarrassing to be around him when he was acting like a dork in presence of new people.

Suddenly, Aelita's face saddened. She looked at Jeremy with glassy eyes.

"What does it mean, it doesn't exist? Did Frank lie to me?"

Aelita's reaction made everyone even more confused, especially the agents. Travis and George opened their mouths, unsure of what to say.

Yumi, Ulrich and William frowned at them; Odd and Sissi folded their arms. They all looked very disappointed. The agents gulped as it became clear that Aelita's question sounded like an open accusation that they broke the promise of their help.

But it was the look Jeremy gave them that was the hardest to bear. His mouth grimaced and he clenched his fingers around the armchair's armrests.

"You clearly forgot what stake of this war is! None of the government secrets will prevent Xervix from claiming The System and destroying this world!"

The agents realized they underestimated the boy. It became obvious that he was playing his part as The Observer well. They hurt Aelita, and now her boyfriend looked as if he was about to jump at them and make them regret it.

Jessica retreated behind her colleagues when Odd was annoying Travis. Now, she felt like the biggest coward of them three. She desperately seeked for a diplomatic solution.

She always wanted to do things right. It gave her hard times when she was working with Travis and George, who did not follow the textbook most of the times. But as hard as those situations were for her, this particular one stepped far beyond her imagination. However well-informed and advanced CIA was, it could not predict any possible situation.

Or could it? Why did her principals insist on her joining the FBI agents on their quest in the first place? She helped put the Schaeffer case together when everything seemed lost… she _knew_ things FBI had no idea about. Her teammate died for this case, and she also faced death a couple of times. Why? She must have missed something on the way. The key was within her. She just needed to find it. What order was she given when she joined Travis and George on their trip to France? _Help her find a way back home._

Then, it struck her like a lightning.

Meanwhile, tension in the lab rose to dangerous levels.

"Are you with us or not?" The Observer set things clear. The scrawny body of Jeremy's was indeed a good disguise for his strong, mature inner self.

Fighting herself, Jessica stepped in front of Travis and George. She turned so that everyone could see her.

"Listen closely, Jeremy." Jessica addressed him. She paused when she felt all eyes, including Travis's and George's, were locked on her. "I know how to take you to this System. Code V41D0."

"Waldo." William said slowly. The others gave him a confused look. "It's in leet speak. 4 is A and 1 is L," he explained. "But… how does this help us?"

"It's a signal that those in CIA, who were involved in Shaeffers' case, were given. If we were to ever make contact with any member of Schaeffer family, we were supposed to call it and pass the message. Then they would be granted, as I was told, _a way back home_, whatever that means. Today I put things together and learned that _home_ actually meant The System you're looking for."

"If you call it… will they take us to Area 51? Cool!" Odd cheered up.

"I was never given any details about the actual location. Security reasons, I guess." Jessica admitted. "But I think Frank was right. If he worked in witness security, he must've had much better knowledge of classified information, including what we know as Area 51. If you want my personal opinion… I believe The System is right there."

Travis and George stood there, frozen. They had no clue what treasure accompanied them for the time they'd been investigating the Shaeffers case together.

"So that's why you joined us... The CIA thought we might find Aelita," George suddenly understood.

"Yes... It was the only way the FBI would be granted clearance from home land security to investigate the destruction of supercomputers, since they were all built by Waldo Schaffer."

Jessica glanced back at Jeremy. He leaned his back on the armchair; his posture was much more relaxed. Aelita, who stood beside him and held his hand, looked much better than just five minutes ago. She actually was smiling lightly.

"Please make that call. Take us to The System," Aelita requested.

"All of you?" Jessica looked at the group of seven kids in front of her. "I'm only supposed to take immediate family, not friends…"

Yumi came closer to her. "We are Aelita's family now. She won't go anywhere without us. Am I right, Aelita?"

Aelita nodded in agreement. "That's right. I want to take that journey with my friends. My family."

The others agreed with her and gathered around Jeremy and Aelita.

"I've been with Princess and Einstein since day one. I won't leave them if they need me." Odd declared.

"If you're worried about us keeping a secret, we can. We kept our secret all this time." Ulrich said.

Jessica, Travis and George exchanged meaningful looks. They certainly did not come across a gang of ordinary teens. They wanted to stick together no matter what circumstances they were under. It certainly deserved respect.

"Okay, I will make that call. I'll see what I can do." Jessica pulled out her cell phone and came over to the elevator. "I have to go up. There's no signal there."

"Of course, go ahead. Please tell them the Avatar's word is an order," Jeremy said in a rather relaxed manner.

Jessica smiled and disappeared behind the elevator's door.

"Whoa. That's going to be one hell of a trip, guys," William commented.

"I'd wait till Mrs. Hillsabeck comes down with the news," George tried to calm them down.

"What do we tell the school? Or our parents? That is, if we go." Yumi asked.

"That's where we come in. We're pretty good at stuff like this." Travis said as he pointed between George and himself.

"I'm sure my father will understand," Sissi butted in. "After all, from what I heard, the world's future is at stake."

"And you, Agent Knight and Dalesman? Will you come with us?" Aelita glanced up at them from the cot she just sat on a moment ago.

"Of course. We said we would help you kids… we'll be there till the end," Travis assured her.

Then, the elevator door opened with a loud hiss and in came Jessica. She was overall in a good mood.

"OK, we got clearance. But under one condition...What we see, we don't see."

"That was pretty easy!" Odd said joyfully.

"Well… I had to talk to one of the over seers to the complex… When I told him the situation, they acted like they where expecting it." Jessica said. " A lot of people in the CIA have been waiting for the day a Schaffer turned up."

"Everything's on a good path to work out, see, Aelita?" Jeremy turned to her.

"Finally…" she said. New hope awakened inside her.

"What's going to happen to us now?" Ulrich asked.

Jessica looked at her watch. "We got a plane to catch in 2 hours. I took a pretty big chewing from this, but we're going there, kids… Just as long as you can in fact keep a secret."

"Oh, believe me. We're good at that," Odd said, smiling widely.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 36

Welcome to Dream Land

The sky was bright blue and only a faint wisp of clouds hung in the air. The sun had just risen over the horizon, greeting the new day ahead of it. The Sun's light glistened off of Boeing 747 that was traversing the early morning sky. The plane started its voyage in France and it was close to its current airspace, Las Vegas Nevada.

The cabin of the plane was full of passengers. Many were picked up from the random stops in England, New York, St Louis and Dallas. Some of the passengers, however, had been on the plane for more then 30 hours. In the front of business class sat a group of three adults and seven teenage passengers, all under protection of the US government.

In spite of all comfort business class offered to them, it had been a murderous flight.

"Can we go on a boat next time?" asked Ulrich, who was sitting between Yumi and George. He seemed to suffer from the long journey the most.

Ulrich was always afraid of heights, but this flight was making his fears even worse. Ulrich tried to control his breathing while not looking out the window that Yumi sat in front of. Over the course of the flight he constantly ran to the restroom and used many barf bags. It was so bad that he hadn't even eaten a thing or taken a longer nap since take off.

"This is the fastest way to travel, Mr. Stern. If boats could move faster, we would have taken one." George said. Ulrich curled up on his spread flat seat.

"Don't worry Ulrich, we're about to land." Yumi stroked his hair, trying to get his mind off the current situation.

"Is it usually this bad?" George asked her.

"This is the first time we have flown together, so I guess it is." Yumi said, laying back in her seat.

Odd looked out from the window closest to him. In front of him extended a brown and grey desert. No buildings were in sight yet.

"Man, I have always wanted to visit Vegas. Just a little older and all that."

"It's not that great, trust me." William said. "It's more glimmer and glitz. The reason you pay so much for all the atmosphere and the location. I mean, they sell burgers for, like, twice in the normal world."

Odd popped a piece of gum into his mouth and handed William a piece as well.

"Wait, how do you know about Vegas?" he asked, surprised.

"My family used to live in America. I'm an American, remember?" William said, chewing his gum.

"I never knew that. You never told us." Odd said.

"I'm from West Virginia. My family happens to be one of the best construction companies in the world. They recently got the permit to build the new World Trade Center in New York. My father's company is pretty much global."

"Then why do you go to school in Amines instead of here in America?" Sissi asked.

"I want to run the family business eventually one day, and to do so I need to know foreign languages perfectly. Also, my family is working on a lot of contracts in Europe." William said as the plane shifted altitude.

"Wow. Why is it that so many of my friends are loaded?" Odd asked.

"It's a bonus you get while attending the most snobbish school in France," William said jokingly.

"Snobbish, huh? Then why can't I have AC in my room fixed? They should care about my comfort, then!" Odd went sarcastic. William laughed.

Odd glanced outside again. In the distance appeared some skyscrapers, which were shining in the morning sunlight.

"Hey, is Elvis from Las Vegas?" he asked.

"No. Memphis Tennessee." William said.

"Then why is it that a lot of the stuff I see from Elvis is from Vegas?"

Sissi joined in on the conversation. "He performed a lot there. Hence why he is called the king of Vegas."

"Hey. Maybe we will meet those guys from the Hangover?." Odd giggled.

"We are not going to Vegas...We're going elsewhere." William reminded him.

"But visiting Vegas is like a written commandment. _Thou shalt visit Las Vegas!_" Odd said, acting all preacher like and such.

"Odd... have mercy upon us." William commented.

Yumi looked at William. "I still can't figure it out myself... I've known him for so long and he still acts like some Penguin lost in Hawaii."

"I'm not a penguin!" Odd opposed. "I'm more like a… tiger! RAWR!"

William, Sissi and Yumi slapped their palms against their foreheads at the same time.

"I can't believe you're my friend sometimes." said William, embarrassed.

"I can't believe I kissed him," said Sissi as she looked towards the so called "tiger".

Suddenly, the intercom clicked on as the captain spoke into the microphone. Everybody looked up.

"Folks, this is your captain speaking. We're about to make our descent into Las Vegas, Nevada. The time is 12:30 and the ground temperature on the ground is 98 degrees, so make sure you stay cool during your stay. Please fasten your seat belts and put away your trays."

Hearing that, Ulrich awakened from his slumber.

"At last it'll be over…" he muttered, slowly sitting down. He pushed a button and his couch turned into a comfortable armchair again.

The rest of the group came back to their seats and prepared for landing.

_Las Vegas Airport. Half an hour later._

The plane docked with the loading terminal. Soon, as the door to the plane opened, a flow of passengers entered the airport. Aelita, Jeremy and Travis went first, followed by Jessica, William, Odd and Sissi. Finally, out came George, Yumi and wheezy, green colored Ulrich.

"That was actually an enjoyable flight." Travis said, stretching his arms.

"Well, not for all of us." George said, glancing over at Ulrich, who chugged a bottle of Pepto Bismol.

"So! Where to first? Gift shops? Hoover Dam? See if there are any Decepticons kept there?" Odd asked, looking at everyone.

"We are not going sightseeing." Jessica grabbed her bag. "Follow me."

She led the group to the end of the lobby.

After passing several terminals, the group came to a large green door. Above it hung a sign that said _Storage. Authorized personnel only._ To the left side of the door was a fire alarm. Jessica pulled down the lever. The alarm flipped around, revealing a big green panel. Jessica bent down and peered into the panel. The panel fired a small orange beam into her eye that went up and down and left to right on her retina. Then, a second orange beam scanned her entire face in the same order.

The door clicked open, revealing a long hallway which was lined with blinding white lights and security cameras. The cameras suddenly clicked and pointed down the end hallway near the entering group.

"From here on, we're on multi government grounds. What you see, you don't see." Jessica said.

The group walked a few feet until they reached the end of the hallway. At the end was a second door, secured by two men. They wore black suits with black ties and black undershirts. They were literally in black.

Jessica walked up and showed her ID to one of the guards. The guard shook his head and opened the door, revealing a large underground garage. Inside sat a row of black SUVs with grey numbers on the hoods. They were however reinforced with bullet proof windows, large terrain ready tires and tinted windows.

"OK, these will take us there." Jessica said.

Travis, Aelita and Jeremy stepped into the first SUV with a driver and a second agent in the front. Jessica, Sissi, William and Odd rode in the second SUV, while George, Ulrich and Yumi rode in the rear, with two other SUVs as security.

The convoy rode out of the garage and onto the streets of Las Vegas. Within a few minutes the SUVs were on the interstate on their way to the Groom Lake area.

_8 Hours later._

The five SUVs rolled down a old dirt road. In front of them sat a large military instillation. It looked like nothing more than a large regular old airport, complete with runway, flight control tower and various hangars and garages.

The convoy rolled past a pair of white jeeps that were providing security for the area. Their passengers stared at the convoy as it rolled into the base.

It looked exactly like any other military base. Random soldiers were doing their patrols. Mechanics were working on several jets and machinery. A dog was being walked by its mechanic.

"Check it out!" Ulrich pointed at a stealth fighter that was moving to the runway for lift-off. The jet glistened in the sunlight as it shadowed over the 5 vehicles.

"THIS is Area 51?" Odd asked in confusion.

"Yup," Jessica said looking behind her towards the confused teen.

"But where are the Aliens and the high tech equipment and all that?" asked Odd, obviously disappointed.

They turned down a back alley and continued down the road that led deeper into the base. The 5 vehicles turned off a side road which led to a flat salt bed. A small wooden sign which read _Groom Lake_ hung off to the side. The lake sat on the edge of the base just north of it.

"Hey, where are we going?" Aelita asked, looking around.

"From what Jessica said...Hang on." Travis said, who was confused not less than any of them.

The convoy rolled onto the salt bed. The road was just like driving on a dirt road. The vehicles where able to easily travel on white surface of salt floor. A few yards away, a section of the floor rose up. The ground itself seemed as if it was being picked up from underneath. Loose gravel and salt shook loose from the fresh tunnel.

Soon, the convoy entered the tunnel that was revealed just a moment ago. The cars turned on their head lights; also, a series of lights turned on in unison just down the hallway. The passage went on for another mile before entering a large cave like opening. Inside were other buildings and garages. The entire place was lit up from a large overhead light with several other multi colored lights running along the buildings and the street the vehicles drove on.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Odd said, looking from left to right at the many different sights.

"From here on out our cell phones and electronic equipment no longer work. And everything we see...We DON'T see. Understand?" Jessica said through the CB radio from inside the Suburban.

Armed guards approached the vehicles as the convoy drove to a checkpoint. It looked like any other checkpoint, with a guard gate and fence around it. However, to its left stood a huge machine gun with three other guards manning it. The gun itself looked like something out of science fiction, with a large turret with four barrels on it. On the ground next to it was a large drum loaded with ammunition.

The guards were wearing black and blue uniforms and astronaut like helmets which hid their faces, except thin blue visors that revealed their eyes. The helmets looked as if they were wrapped around their heads and were almost form fitting.

On their chest was what seemed like a built-in ammo pouch, protruding past the lower torso near the abs region. The chest area and the ammo pouch was covered in what looked like some type of high-tech, bullet-proof body armor. They resembled Storm Troopers or the Spartans off Halo.

The first of the SUVs pulled up to the checkpoint. One of the guards approached the vehicle with a black Sub machine gun with multiple attachments at his hip in stand by fire. The driver held up his pass and explained to the guard their business. The guard nodded and pointed towards the gate. The gate opened and the multiple guards next to it stood down. The convoy then proceeded down towards a parking lot of the main building.

Several guards exited the building along with a man in a military style uniform. Then, Jessica stepped out of the second SUV and walked up to the guards. After a few minutes she turned around and waved towards the convoy.

Travis, Aelita and Jeremy were the first to step out of their vehicle; the others followed them. The guards lowered the weapons and stood aside as the man stepped forward. He was wearing a blue dress uniform that was decorated with several medals and ribbons. He also wore a green beret and on his hip sat a pistol and ammo belt. Accompanying him were two more guards, who carried smaller rifles then the men at the front of the base.

"I'm Major General Hayter. I'm in charge of Installation 000 under the United Nations special jurisdiction." The Major General introduced himself.

He glanced over towards Aelita, who stood next to Jeremy. She had her arms folded, trying to keep herself warm.

"Welcome home, Mrs Schaffer." he greeted Aelita with a warm smile.

Aelita looked up shyly at Major's face at the mention of her name. There was something both reassuring and intimidating in his figure. She got goosebumps, and not only because of the piercing coldness of the cave.

The Major approached the group.

"You were born in this very base a long time ago. One of the only few people who were born in this area… We never forget a face." he explained, noticing her confused look. "Come inside."

The Major led the group inside the large building. When they stepped inside, another free space opened in front of them. At its other end was a tunnel that led down to the interior of the other hangar.

"Your parents used to work here a long time ago," Hayter went on with the story. "Your mother's rotation here happened during her ninth month with you. We insisted she stayed in her home in Colorado but she came here in order to continue her work on various projects, including Project Carthage. After you were born, we contacted Frank Morse to watch over your family. Even though U.S. Marshalls are the ones who protect witness protection agents, CIA Senior Officers are the ones who watch over former 0000 employees."

"So that explains how the CIA got a hold of the Schaeffers." Travis said.

"What's Project Carthage?" Jeremy asked.

"Project Carthage was a program that was disguised to disrupt an enemy's communication. But in reality it was a different story." the Major said as they were approaching a large glass door built inside the wall of the cave with four guards next to it.

"WAIT! Where are the aliens and all the UFOs and Elvis?" Odd asked, looking around.

Then he noticed a large red semi slowly make its way down a road that went across the building. The semi was mostly blue with red flames on it and a large red face-like symbol on its side. Odd noticed that inside the truck was no driver. Odd's eyes grew large as he tried to get Ulrich and the others to look at the truck. But before he could get their attention, the truck turned and disappeared in a tunnel.

"DID ANYONE SEE WHAT I JUST SAW!" Odd asked out loud.

The Major turned around looked towards the blond teen.

"Saw what?"

Odd lowered his hands in complete confusion. It looked like no one else was interested in finding aliens in this base.

They stopped in front of the glass door. Major pulled out a small clear plastic card from his pocket. He swiped it through a card reader. The door immediately opened. Inside stood two more guards, both holding the same weapons as the guards at the entrance to the cave. The guards pointed their weapons towards the ceiling as the Major General saluted and pulled open a door for the group behind him to follow.

"I never believed in little green men," Sissi said as the group entered the main lobby of what looked like a command center and walked past the reception desk.

"Neither have I." a voice said from behind the counter.

Jeremy turned to the location of the voice and stopped dead in his tracks. The voice was of a woman who stood behind the counter. The woman was human looking, but hard large, glassy eyes. Her skin glowed, making her look almost like a cartoon character. He hair was short and brown. On her head was a large gem planted right in her forehead. She wore a strange suit which looked as if it was made of metal. But it wasn't until she turned her head that her true feature came into focus... she had cat like ears, that where segmented into two separate parts... as if she had in fact _four_ ears.

The entire group stared at the person in astonishment.

"What are you?" Yumi asked.

"I am the receptionist." The lady answered.

Yumi rubber her eyes as she glanced at the strange looking lady who stood behind the counter. She looked at Ulrich whose eyes were matching her face.

"Where are you from?" William asked.

"New Jersey." The receptionist said.

The Major stood, smiling. It was usual for new people at the site to witness their first mind blowing experience within the first hour of their arrival. But it was comical to see the children's reaction to it.

"Come on. Tour is this way." Jessica said getting the teens' attention.

On their way inside the complex they passed several men in lab coats and some armed security guards. The group approached an entrance to what appeared to be a large hangar. Inside was a large square computer, which was linked up to several smaller computers.

"Welcome to Project Carthage." The Major said.

The computers where connected to a cluster of cables that ran in a neat single file line towards the tower-like supercomputer. It had several interfaces and ports around its front and a rear interface. A series of monitors and screens where connected to the casing of the computer.

"This was your father's first supercomputer from a series of eight. They all were a part of Carthage. And that's not all. For a long time he was concerned for his safety. So he chose a few of his friends and created those." The Major said, pointing towards the four cylinders at the far end of the room.

The cylinders were tube like, with entrance behind sliding doors. The tubes were chrome in color, with a glass door leding into the booth. On top them ran thick wires that led to the computer.

"Scanners?" William asked.

"Indeed. They scan the person inside and lay a type of virtual envelope on top of them with the help of nano machines... Similar to armor. Only problem though was that after the suits power take a certain amount of damage they evaporate, leaving the person under the envelope exposed. Hence why we never really tried using them."

Travis looked at the Major and back at the kids.

"How come yours are different?" he asked Jeremy.

"Maybe ours is the latest version. Or maybe… ours is _special_." Odd suggested.

"Odd may be right, but what does it mean there were eight others?" Ulrich asked the Major.

"Shortly before The Berlin Wall fell, a computer terrorist group name Green Phoenix threatened the worlds' security with a super computer they called Xanadu. They used it to create a virtual program named Genghis to hack the entire world's computer network. Their demands were the very thing your parents protected, The System." The Major said as he lead the group around the computer.

"When the Cold War was over, United Nations realized that Green Phoenix may return. They commissioned Schaeffer to build a network to defend the rest of the world. After a few years, however, they were scrapped upon their completion. The computers disappeared and they have not been seen since."

"You answered a lot of questions but the main question is...Why?" George asked.

"After Aelita's birth, Waldo resigned. But from what agent Hillsabeck said in her report, Waldo may have been threatened by Green Phoenix. Or who ever they secretly were." The Major said as he pulled out a cigar from his pocket.

"Mal-Tech." Jeremy said.

"When Waldo disappeared, we feared the worst for him and his family. Without them, the System is useless."

"Which I bet you have, right?" Jeremy asked.

The major lit his cigar and smiled at the blonde boy.

"Follow me...You're about to see one of our crown jewels."

The Major led them to an elevator in far end of the room. He pulled out a key from under his neck and placed it inside a key hole in the elevator panel. He twisted the key and the elevator began to lower itself down several floors.

The elevator door stopped after few seconds and opened, revealing a lower and darker level of the cave. Inside the cave sat a large shining crystal that looked to be the size of a house. The crystal was square shaped with a series of what looked like crystal cogs and springs inside of it. Inside the crystal came the only source of light in the building - a round, orb-like crystal.

"The System…" Aelita whispered as she stared at its beauty and majesty.

"This object was discovered underwater near Noam Alaska many years ago. We know it's alien or some form of advanced civilization built it. Many of our "Guests" here call it a sacred object, referring to it as _the tear of God_. "The Major said.

"They say when the universe was finished forming, the leftover energy came to a central point and formed this. They also claim its power is beyond limits of human imagination. We decided to bury it down here deep below the facility, in case its energy was toxic or unstable."

"That's what this is all about? Jewelry?" George asked.

"It's about me... It won't work without me." Aelita said quietly.

_Meanwhile, on the surface._

The security center of the main base was quiet. It was lined with several computer terminals; all were monitoring a certain section of the base's territory. There was a total of 10 all together. They monitored everything from radar, motion tracking, temperature readings and heat signatures. They also covered a wide range of radio signals, from basic frequencies to cell phone communication near the area.

One of the guards was sitting at the monitor. He was glancing through his paper, reading up on the recent scores of some of his favorite sports team. He really didn't need to watch the monitors since they did most of the work themselves. For him it was just a nice easy job, he got paid well and got enough time off. Still, it was boring.

Suddenly, his motion tracker picked up 5 unknown objects moving towards the base. The tracking system beeped loudly, gathering his attention. He threw down the paper and noticed just how deep the signals were getting into their territory.

"Rothy, I got something." The guard said to his partner next to him.

The man glanced over and saw the signatures, walking in a straight line towards the base.

"Probably another group of hippies or something. More alien believers. Tell jeep 3 to check it." Rothy said.

The guard reached over and clicked on his radio.

"J3, this is central. We have a group of targets moving in to our area, please advise over."

There was no response over the radio.

"J3 this is Central. Do you copy?"

Silence.

"Pull them up on the vehicle tracker, would you, Liam?" The guard said to one of the other guards behind him.

"I got them... they're right behind the group... and they're not moving." Liam said.

"Call the base commander, we have a possible code yellow." Rothy said to another guard across from him.

The guard typed in a series of commands and brought up a video link of the group. What he saw shook him to his soul.

Xervix walked in the middle of the group. He carried his Scythe in his hands after he just sliced the Jeep in half. The two guards laid on the ground with severe injuries inflicted by Atlas. Xervix's metallic skin glistened in the sunlight. He snorted smoke out of his nose as his claw like feet were treading along the desert floor, leaving dragon like footprints as he walked.

Aether was walking next to him. His wings made the light from the desert even brighter as they shined brightly. His beak like face was smirking after what they had just done to the guards. Next to him walked Chaos. She was licking her lips after enjoying the attack they had just committed. She lifted up on of her hand like claws and licked the sharp blade she carried. She pressed her fake tongue on her blade so hard that it should have split in two.

Atlas walked next. His body armor had two small bullet holes in it. The bullets had barely made it past the armor's breast plate. He carried a Mag rail gun he used in Lyoko. He heaved it over his right shoulder. It felt like nothing to him, just a small twig in his hand. He enjoyed punching the hell out of the two guards... this world was much more fragile and easy to break than Lyoko. He was going to like it here.

Tartarus was last. His face was entirely blacked out by the cloak over his face and the brightness of the sun. He walked with his arms folded. There was only one thing on his mind...The destruction of William Dunbar. He could sense that William was close.

The guards saw the sight and stared in both horror and confusion.

"What do we do?" One of the guards said.

Rothy picked up a phone and dialed the number of the base commander. The entire room went haywire as the monsters approached. The creatures continued to get closer and closer. Soon, the whole base was scrambling to intercept the intruders.

Xervix saw the military base mobilizing. He knew they would be here within a few minutes...

"Perfect," he hissed.

_In the System Chamber_

Mesmerized by its power, Aelita continued to stare at the crystal structure that sat in front of her. She reached under her shirt and pulled out the small shard that they discovered inside the Supercomputer. She noticed it was glowing the same rhythmic colors as the System.

"You said energy... Are you saying it releases energy at random?" George asked.

"No. But the energy it releases has given our scientists a lot of interesting results. In a cavern below us we were able to use its power to cause some plants to grow to almost jungle like proportions. And we have found indications that it may hold some type of healing factor." The Major said as he finished his cigar.

"Sure would make a pretty good Christmas ornament," Odd comented.

"I think it's beautiful," said Sissi, who could not take her eyes off the crystal.

"What do we do now?" Ulrich asked.

Aelita looked at the System shard and then at the large crystal in front of her. Suddenly, she realized what to do. Somehow she felt that in the back of her head, as if it was an instinct.

Then, a buzzing noise came from inside the lab. Only this buzzing noise came from not just the lab. In fact the entire facility was now on high alert.

"This is Hayter! Talk to me!" Hayter spoke into a small intercom system inside the booth.

"The Main Base up top is under attack from 5 unknown assailants. They just tore the whole base in half and they're making their way to the door." A guard said over the intercom.

"Xervix!" Yumi shouted.

Aelita felt sweat starting to develop on her brow. She knew Xervix might make a move on her, but he was taking this way far out of proportion.

"Alert the guards. I don't want these things making their way down here... NOT ONE STEP!" Hayter commanded.

"You can't fight these things with conventional weapons... They're too tough." Jeremy said as Hayter rushed the group to the elevator.

"I'm sorry, but this situation is now out of your hands." Hayter said.

"Listen to this kid. He knows more about this than anyone." Jessica said.

"We can handle the situation. You agents need to get these kids out of here!" Hayter said.

"Look, they're not going to stop. They're coming for the System and they won't stop until they are either dead or they claim it! And me and Jeremy…" Aelita said as the elevator rose to the top floor.

The Major stopped and looked towards Aelita.  
"You know about the Avatar deal?"

"And this is her Boyfriend thing what ever it is." Odd said, placing his hands on Jeremy's shoulders.

"It's Observer, Odd!" Jeremy grunted, blushing slightly.

"That's what I said."

Hayter looked back and forth between the two teens. It made perfect sense to him.

"I get it! You two came to claim the System before it falls into wrong hands! What do you need?" he asked.

"We need access to the scanners. And I need a computer with internet access to install this into the supercomputer." Jeremy said, pulling out a small flash drive with a small wire antenna on it. It was the same flash drive Frank Morse used to place Puck inside Lyoko.

"And we also need the System." Aelita said, feeling a bit more nervous on the situation.

"Alright."  
Hayter hurried the kids back down to the elevator that led to the System's storage room.

Meanwhile, on the surface, the air force base was turned into ruins. Bullet casings littered the main road of the base; many of the hangars and planes were burning wildly. Several vehicles and planes where smashed to pieces. In several places, large burn marks from laser fire covered the ground and many of the vehicles and buildings.

Xervix followed the road to the main door of the underground part of the base. He scrapped the tan metal door with his claw like hands.

"It's here." Xervix said with a small bit of both excitement and anticipation.

Atlas approached the door with several thick chains he had ransacked from the base. He looked down towards Xervix, seeing as how he was the tallest of the group.

"Shall I open the door, master?" Atlas asked.

Xervix grunted and nodded in agreement.

Atlas bent down and wiggled his fingers underneath the metal door. As his beer can sized fingers got underneath the heavy door with ease, he began to lift the door. The earth shook violently; the monster growled and moaned as he continued to force the door open.

Finally, the door screeched; the metal bent, and Atlas threw the heavy construction away. Pieces of the gate flew into the air and landed a few feet away.

"AT LAST! IT'S MINE! SHE IS MINE! THE WORLD IS MINE!" Xervix shouted as he rose his head into the air.

Underground, the elevator once again lowered down the shaft into the System's storage room. This time, instead of stopping at a observation deck, the elevator went down lower and stopped in front of a pair of solid-looking, sliding doors.

The Major took out a card and slid it into a card reader attached to a door. A small panel opened up. A small, arm-like object protruded out of it. The Major took it and placed it next to his eye. It projected a silver beam that went into his eye. After a few seconds the light went out and the door began to slide open.

The group slowly walked inside and up to the platform that the crystal structure sat on.

The Major turned to Aelita. "Your father said this was yours, Miss Schaeffer. Here it is."

He backed down and joined the rest of the group, who observed the scene in anticipation.

Aelita shyly stepped forward a little bit, but as soon as she did, she stepped back. She knew what she was supposed to do, but fear of what might happen overwhelmed her.

She turned to Jeremy in search of reassurance.

Noticing her insecurity, he walked closer and took her hand. Their eyes met.

"I'm scared...What's going to happen to me?" asked Aelita.

"Whatever happens, I have and always will be here for you," Jeremy said quietly as he held up her hand and kissed it, like a true knight would do. "The System belongs to you. It accepts you. There's nothing to fear."

Aelita smiled as she felt a little more secure about what she was about to do.

"And don't forget...We're here for you as well." Ulrich said.

Travis walked forward and stood in front of the pair of teens.

"All of us." he assured Aelita.

George and Jessica nodded in agreement as they realized that what happened and what was about to transpire was way bigger than anything the could imagine.

Aelita turned and faced the large crystal like structure. Feeling of worry and dread seemed to increase as she stepped closer to it. One thing went through her mind - how would she remove it?

Suddenly, Aelita felt something moving under her shirt. She looked down to see her necklace lift up into the air out from under her shirt. The crystal shard rose into the air and began to pull towards the larger crystal. Aelita then realized the true reason for the shard.

"Is it... a key?" Aelita said quietly.

Suddenly the leather lace tied to the crystal snapped. The crystal flew towards a small crevice inside the larger crystal and fell into its place.

Then, a bolt of multi colored lightning coursed through the crystals. Many of the large, crystal-like gears and cogs slowly began to turn. They sounded like wind chimes or other glass objects, and were spinning even faster.

Suddenly, Aelita's feet were lifted off the ground. As she rose in the air, she was still watching the strange wonders and movements of the moving rocks. Aelita kept on rising even higher until she came within eye contact of the System.

She finally faced it. The System was the same glass like orb she was constantly seeing in her dreams, where her mother would approach her and show her the crystal ball. It was just identical to what she saw now.

As if in trance, Aelita held out her hands. A burst of energy flew from the orb into her hands.

Below Aelita, the group was covering their eyes from bright flashing colors that came from Aelita. Yumi buried her face into Ulrich's shoulder. Sissi turned her head as Odd squinted hard in a attempt not to go blind from the brightness. Yet through all the time Jeremy stood directly below Aelita, not moving or squinting at all. He only would not take his sight off the one person he cared for most in the world.

Aelita saw a brilliant flash of light along one of the crystal walls as it slid down and revealed the orb. Then, a face appeared in one of the sides of the crystal's wall. For a second it looked like her father… smiling at her. Tears rolled down Aelita's face as she saw the System begin to hover.

The orb floated in midair and approached Aelita. She held out her hands as it slowly and softly rested in her hands. A sudden pulse of energy came from the System and flowed inside her body. She felt a surge of what felt like a cold breeze flow through her, making her hair stand and giving her goosebumps. Aelita then felt herself beginning to lower down slowly to the floor. Her toes touched the ground as the lights and noises slowly faded away.

Aelita turned to face her friends. She looked at the System. It was about the size of a basket ball; its structure was solid like a rock, but it felt lighter than air. It glowed in her hands just as brilliant the shard had.

Holding it, Aelita felt peace and happiness as if a long lost toy or familiar object was returned to her.

Jeremy walked up and looked at her. Aelita's face lit up with a wide smile. It was enough for him to convince himself that she was okay. He felt an urge to place his hand on the System as well. He could sense its energy.

"OK, now that we had that moment of glowing awesomeness... What do we do?" William asked.

Jeremy turned to face the group. Before he could say anything, he felt a small hand rest on his shoulder. Jeremy turned to see Aelita's arm on his shoulder, her other wrapped around the System. She was looking up at him. Her face showed a expression of both concern and hope that her best friend would figure out a way to get them all out of this mess.

"We get to the scanners, and I rig up our little trap for our friends...Then we need to get out of here." Jeremy explained.

"This is a well defended fortress. We can make a stand in here." Hayter said.

" But if we begin to lose, then we are stuck in here with all of those monsters...Then we lose." Sissi said out loud.

"She's right, we're screwed if that thing does make it in here. We need to get it to a location where we can protect it and retreat if we have to." Travis said, looking straight at the Major General. "If we can get it to Las Vegas, then we can hold up there. Can we get any support from the military?"

"The nearest bases are several hours away. You will need the local LVPD to help you hold out till then." Hayter said.

"OK, while Jeremy is working on his little trap... We need to get to the armory. You got one, right?" Jessica asked. It was about time to prepare to a battle.

The second gate flew off the entrance. Rocks, dust and debris flew everywhere as the light from the outside world shone in. The alarms of all of the alert sirens and warning lights echoed through the base. Most of the base's personnel had already evacuated, leaving the base's security personnel behind. A majority of the security force was parked at the main entrance. A large column of SUVs and Hummers drove to the front. Many were armed with 50 caliber guns and Mark 19 grenade launchers.

As the trucks rolled up to the gate, the doors flew open as several more of the Troopers spilled out; each of them was carrying the same futuristic assault rifle. They looked like a slimmed down version of a M16, except they were more compact, as they were made of two solid parts. The attachments were even built inside of the weapon. The only thing exposed was the magazine.

A large group of guards stood in the entrance. They all pointed their guns at the same time towards the very entrance to the base. Laser lights traced up and down the sides of the walls. The guards kept their fingers on the trigger with the safety off, ready to open fire.

A dark, massive silhouette walked down the corridor of the hallway. The figure so big that it bloated out the Sun. It kept getting closer and closer. As the figure broke through the smoke, it revealed itself: a large golden chest piece, metal helmet and chains wrapped around its body.

Atlas bellowed in rage at the guards as he lowered his head and waist and pointed his head at the guards.

Without any hesitation, the guards opened fire. Yellow flashes flowed from the muzzles of the rifles as a volley of bullets flew towards the Titan. The large 50 caliber rounds blasted from their guns with such great velocity that the gunners shook as hard as the weapons that they fired.

The Titan laughed insanely at the bullets that pinged and bounced off. Atlas stood there with his arms extended outwards, allowing the bullets to bounce off him.

Security personnel continued to fire. Many began to reload their weapons while others pulled out their side arms. Soon many of the guards realized their efforts where useless.

The Hummer with the Mark 19 launcher fired a round towards Atlas. He grabbed the grenade round before it could hit him and hurled it back at the Hummer. The grenade round slammed into the side of the Hummer, causing it to explode. The vehicle rolled over on to its side as several of the guards closest to it flew in different directions.

Then Atlas reached behind his back and grabbed something from behind him. He then tossed the object that was behind him, which was a green and red ball. The ball suddenly opened up, revealing a thin slender woman with short black hair.

Chaos hissed loudly as she pulled out her chain blades and attacked several of the guards around her. Her blades sliced through the guns as she bounced off the chest of one of the guards and pushed off hard, sending the poor man into a wall. The force of the impact of the guard was enough to leave a small crack on the wall.

Chaos then jumped onto the arm of one of the guards and wrapped her legs around it. She twirled one of her blades and flung it towards a approaching guard. The chain wrapped around the guard, making him drop his rifle. Chaos then lifted the guard into the air and tossed him into the glass of the guard house. The guard flew through both sets of windows before coming to a stop on the opposite side of the guards' house.

The female Titan threw her dagger out towards another guard. The blade struck the guard in his arm; she flung the chain and a man stuck in it into a group of 3 approaching guards.

Chaos then turned her attention to the guard she was wrapped around. She twisted her legs hard, shattering bones in guard's arm. He screamed in pain; she jumped off and threw her legs into his. The guard fell backwards onto his back. Before the guard fell to the ground, Chaos kicked him hard, sending him into a Hummer that Atlas had kicked as he entered the building.

She slithered over to the guard who she had just thrown into the Hummer. She walked over and kissed him on the lips. The guard's pain and fear turned to confusion. Until Chaos bit his lips with her snake like teeth, causing blood to drip from the guards mouth.

"Ah... That sound would lull me to sleep every night." Chaos said as she stood back up.

Meanwhile, Atlas tossed 2 guards that he captured onto the hood of the destroyed Hummer. Atlas felt a sense of both satisfaction and pride in the work he was doing. It was entertaining to cause so much destruction and carnage in the base. He was going to like this world.

"All clear master." Atlas said as Xervix, Tartarus, and Aether walked in.

"Now... split up and find the dam children... Tear this base apart and do what you want to the others but leave Aelita and Jeremy alive!" Xervix commanded as the titans all split off.

Hayter led the team up to the computer lab. The kids and Jessica all stepped out while Travis, George, and Hayter went down to the Armory.

Jeremy ran over to the computer's interface and found a small USB drive. He plugged in the USB drive he brought with him to America. Then, he ran over to the computer and pulled out his new cell phone, a Droid Atrix. He flipped through a series of apps until he reached one called Big Fat Cheese Head. He launched the app and it immediately synced with the computer in Amines.

"Puck! You ready?" Jeremy asked hurriedly into the speaker of the phone.

"Yes, I'm connected and the computer is synched. Get everyone into the scanners and I'll use the memory on the supercomputer to get everyone proper equipment ready." Puck reported.

The scanner doors opened.

"Wait... How are we going to virtualize if this is in the real world and the computer we use is back home?" William asked.

"Puck and I talked about this before we left. We got an idea going. The USB drive Frank Morse used to put Puck in the computer can create a type of access point. I then connect my phone to the USB drive and use the phone service to communicate with the supercomputer… similar to what I did to contact Aelita on Lyoko with my own personal computers. He then downloads the memory of what we need in Lyoko to the phone..."

"Meaning?" Odd asked.

"We got you covered." Jeremy summed up.

"Am I the only one who didn't get that?" Sissi asked.

"Trust me... I get it all the time." Odd comforted her.

Aelita walked over and handed Jeremy the System. As she handed it to Jeremy, it began to course blue and pink colors, then suddenly white... it wasn't a reaction as if it was violent... rather as if it was peaceful. It looked like it accepted Jeremy holding it.

Aelita ran over to the scanners. Ulrich, William and Yumi were already inside theirs. Odd stood off to the side, waiting for his turn together with Sissi. The doors shut simultaneously and the scanners began to hiss and screech loudly... much louder then the ones at the factory.

"Scan Aelita, Yumi, William, Ulrich. And...Virtualization!" Jeremy commanded.

A white lightning shoot through the cables connected to the scanners.

Inside the scanner, Yumi noticed what looked like clear blue water filtering at the bottom of the scanner. Only the water wasn't flowing inside the scanner... It was flowing up her pant leg.

Yumi felt panic fill her mind as the cold water like substance moved up her waist and around her arms. As soon as the substance touched her neck, it stopped. The water then shifted and changed color as it took on a more familiar form.

The scanner opened and out stepped Yumi in her Lyoko form. She glanced around at her in both awe and wonder.

"How did you do this?" Yumi asked Jeremy as she pulled out her fan to test the scanner's effect on it.

"The intention was to create a ghost program here in this computer, but the nano machines made it a little easier."

As soon as he said that, the other three opened, revealing Ulrich, Aelita and William.

Odd walked over to the next one...But turned to look at Sissi.

"What about her?" Odd asked.

"I'll wait till the next one... When I got a little more practice." Sissi said as Odd stepped into the scanner.

"OK, now what about the trap?" Jeremy turned to Puck.

"I'm already on it. Follow my instructions carefully..." the AI said.

"What's he going to do?" Jessica looked from behind Jeremy's arm. He was typing in a series of commands into the computer terminal connected to the scanners, and his phone.

"We're going to activate a couple of towers on Lyoko and let Puck set the trap." Jeremy explained.

"We're going to need five satellites and enough energy to power it." Puck said.

Sissi walked over to the computer. "Does that mean you're going to use my little idea?"

Jeremy smiled and nodded.

"Told you she was a great addition to the team." Odd said, walking over next to her.

Ulrich pointed to a small screen on his wrist. "Hey Jer...What do these do?"

"Those are your life point gauges.. Since I won't be in our lab to monitor your stats and all, I modified your Lyoko forms to have them." Jeremy said as he ran over to another computer and hit in a series of codes on it.

"What happens when they reach zero?" Yumi asked, examining her fan.

"From what I gathered, the nano suits will wear off and you will be exposed. So fight carefully." Jeremy warned them.

"I got control of 5 satellites and 3 power stations from across the state. I also got control of a communication facility to beam the energy from the power stations to the satellites," Puck reported. "Once they're at 100% and you destroy the other Titans, I'll launch the energy down to Earth and create a virtual portal for you to throw Xervix back to Lyoko. All five satellites are to be used like a slingshot to throw him back."

"Hang on. The power stations gather the energy... The communications facility then beams the energy to one of the satellites where you send it back down and pull Xervix into this wormhole-like structure… and the satellites transfer him back to Amines?" Jessica asked.

"That's right!" Puck exclaimed triumphantly.

In the armory, George grabbed a SCAR assault rifle. It was tan with a red dot sight, laser sight, and a flash light on its side. It was one of the best assault rifles of the new age: perfectly compact, easily manageable, and carried a 7.62 cartridge. George felt it was a perfect weapon to go to war with. He walked over and placed it on a table, along with 10 magazines, a tactical vest and a couple of extra magazines for his M9 Beretta.

Travis grabbed a M4 with a attached grenade launcher and ACOG scope. He grabbed a similar tactical vest like George's, however it had a few small pouches to hold the grenade rounds for his rifle.

In addition, George grabbed a MP5 and a IBA, bullet proof vest. He also grabbed a radio and small magazine pouch that fitted on her waist.

Travis looked at a small diagram of the city that he lay next to him in the meantime. "OK, we get it to the city with the kids. We get the LVPD to help us secure the Strip... and we hold out till the Military arrives."

"You sure you want to hold up on the strip? Lots of civies are around there…" unsure George asked, loading a round into his pistol.

"Lots of places to hide and lots of cover... it will do fine." Travis said.

"I can loan you any of my security force, but I will give you 2 SUVs to get you there." Hayter offered, finishing his another cigar.

Hayter walked over and grabbed a light machine gun and a large belt of ammunition. He flipped up the magazine well of the gun and loaded it.

Travis glanced at Major General as he loaded his weapon. "You coming with us?"

"My security force is currently engaging the intruders... and they're losing. So I'm going to go join them." Hayter said.

Travis and George both glanced at each other and then back towards Hayter.

"Keys to the cars are in that box over there." Major said, pointing towards a large lock box.

"Make sure that girl lives... Okay?" He turned and walked towards the door.

Travis dropped his weapon and turned to Hayter as he realized a terrifying thing.

"You'll die if you go out there!"

Hayter said nothing as he rushed to the door.

"YOU"LL BE KILLED!" Travis shouted at Hayter again. The Major refused to listen; he quickly shut the door to the armory behind him.

The elevator rose to the top floor of the computer lab. As soon as it did, the ceiling and the room shook. A loud deafening boom followed. The lights inside the room dimmed a little and came back on.

Travis and George entered the room, carrying their weapons and gear. George tossed the vest to Jessica and she put it on. He then handed her the MP5 and some magazines.

"We all set?" Travis asked Jeremy.

Jeremy nodded. He glanced over to Aelita who was still clutching the System. She nodded with a firm look on her face.

"Let's do this!" George said.

Odd pulled back his glove, making a locking noise, which indicated a fresh laser arrow was loaded.

Ulrich pulled his swords out and scrapped them against each other. Yumi took her fans and twirled them in the air around her fingers. William swung his sword like a ball bat.

Aelita held The System with one hand. In her other she created a fizzling energy field.

Sissi turned and folded her arms in a defensive stance.

Jeremy placed his equipment back in his pocket and shut off the computer.

"We're ready," he confirmed.

The elevator lowered down to a large garage when another loud explosion ripped through the facility.

The entire crew ran towards the large fleet of black SUVs. George read off the number on the keys S-3 and S-6. George spotted the two SUVs parked near the door. He hit the unlock button on the keys as the group ran over towards the cars.

George climbed into the first car with Sissi, Odd, and William. Travis jumped into the other along with Jessica, Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi and Jeremy. The cars started up with the soft hum. No sooner then they did, both cars screeched their tires and sped off to the exit of the garage. The only other exit of the base besides the front door that was under attack.

Another group of security officers ran to the front of the base. Major General Hayter was with them. As soon as they got close to the fire fight, an explosion flared right in front of them. Four guards flew from the site of the explosion and landed right in front of them. Some of the guards stopped and checked the guards who were caught in the explosion..

Hayter continued to march up towards the battle zone... and finally caught a glimpse of his target.

A monster just sliced a hummer in half with his scythe. He had hooves like a birds, a wolf like face and two large horns protruding out of his head.

Xervix slowly looked up and spotted Hayter. He growled at the human. His white eyes pulsed with the New Dawn symbol. Hayter slowly raised his gun and opened fire. Rounds fired from its barrel as the belt continued to cycle through the gun.

Xervix reeled a little from the impact of the bullets. He covered his face with his scythe as he stepped backwards a little bit.

Hayter continued to walk forward with his gun still firing a maelstrom of bullets. The belt was almost out of ammunition; yet, he continued to walk forward.

Xervix had enough. The Monster roared in anger as opened his black bat like wings. His arm glowed black as he fired a black beam towards Hayter. The beam missed the man and striked a truck behind him.

Hayter suddenly noticed his gun was no longer firing. The belt was all used up.

Xervix ran forwards and kicked the General hard. Hayter felt pain rush through his entire lower half. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. No sooner then he had, a large foot landed on him. He looked up to see Xervix standing over him.

"Who the hell… are you!" Hayter panted with exertion.

The monster looked towards him and smiled.

"I AM XERVIX!"

The beast then held his scythe up high, preparing to strike.

The two SUVs drove past the remains of the air force base above the actual base. It was a ruined mess. Most of the personnel attempted to tend to the wounds of the injured while others where battling the blaze that engulfed the base.

"They're going to pay for this." Ulrich said angrily.

Aelita couldn't look out the window. She could not bear the thought that all of this may have been her fault.

"You OK, Aelita?" Yumi asked.

"Don't worry, we will make it," Travis assured her as he shifted the SUV into the next gear and left the base. He was pushing the car to doing almost 100 as they left the main road of the base and drove in the direction of Las Vegas.

Aelita glanced towards Jeremy. He looked at her and the large crystal ball in her lap. He also was angry at what had transpired. He nodded his head in agreement.

Aelita wrapped her arm around him.

"Hold me... Please?"

Jeremy put both his arms around her as she closed her eyes. She knew their final battle with Xervix was at hand and that it was all about to end. But what worried her was the dream from so many weeks ago in which she saw Jeremy being killed... She was worried it would come true and the one person she loved in this world was about to die.

"I won't let this happen... " she muttered to herself.

Her depression suddenly turned to anger as she recalled the true heroes back in the base. The members of the military who tried to fight off Xervix and his forces. She realized she couldn't live in fear anymore. She had to stop this... For her parents, her friends... and the whole world.

Xervix stepped into the System vault room. He glanced around, making sure no more guards were inside. The room was eerily quiet and empty, yet some from of energy could still be felt inside it. Something powerful had transpired here earlier... And he missed it.

A shadow flew over him. Xervix looked up to see Aether flying over head and land next to him.

"Lord Xervix...The base is ours." Aether said with a sneer in his voice.

Xervix said nothing but stared at the vault. This was his one opportunity to claim the object of his desire... and he had missed it.

"Where are the children?" Xervix asked.

"I believe they have fled…" Aether said with some hesitation in his voice.

Xervix slowly turned his head so that his eye peered at the bird man.

Aether felt the same sense he had always felt... fear. He knew he was about to die.

"I make you a god of the air... and you can't even capture 2 TINY CHILDREN?" Xervix yelled.

He flew out his right hand as a large black beam struck Aether in the chest. Aether flew to the ground in pain from the attack.

"YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT HINDER MY PLANS THIS WHOLE TIME!

I SHOULD DESTROY YOU NOW!"

A black shadow passed through one of the walls. The shadow spun around and revealed the other three Titans.

"Lord Xervix! We spotted the children in one of the base's camera systems. We believe they are heading for the city of Las Vegas." Chaos said.

Xervix looked towards the other titans and back at Aether. Xervix reached down and grabbed the metal bird by the chest. His massive claw like army easily fitted around his creation.

"This is your last chance. There will not be a third failure."

"Ye...Yes my master... No more mistakes," Aether repeated.

Xervix threw the bird to the ground hard. The bird withered in pain from the previous shot to the chest.

"Now what are you all standing around here for? GET THEM!"


	38. Chapter 38

_Las Vegas, The Las Vegas Strip._

A loud siren squalled through the streets of the infamous Las Vegas Strip. The sound echoed through the entire Strip as a large series of police cars and fire trucks rolled down, single file in a straight and tight line. The presence of the convoy attracted the attention of many pedestrians.

"Attention, please. All civilians are ordered by the city government of Las Vegas to evacuate the Las Vegas Strip immediately. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is _not_ a drill." an officer said on the loud speaker of a squad car.

The last to pull on the boulevard was a series of dark vans with four letters in large white lettering on their sides. They came to a halt. The rear doors flew open and several members of the Las Vegas SWAT team poured out. They were armed with sub machine guns, shotguns and sniper rifles. They quickly and neatly moved to their locations.

"Sigma leader to Omega, Alpha and Epsilon. Sigma taking far end of the Strip," The SWAT team leader said as they set up barricades and coordinated with the local police department.

Omega ran up to the entrance of Caesars Palace Hotel. Their goal was to provide sniper cover for the police forces below them. Alpha blocked off the opposite side of the strip's main entrance, down near the _Circus Circus_ casino, while Epsilon based up around the front of the _Luxor_ casino.

Three large choppers roared over head as they began a patrol around the Narrow Vegas strip. Two of them had a pair of snipers on them. The other was a LVPD patrol chopper, which repeated the same evacuation message as the patrol cars down below.

After a half an hour the Strip was almost cleared. Two Black SUVs came barreling down the street. The vehicles stopped in front of the Luxor Casino and three government agents stepped out.

One of the SWAT members approached the agents. His entire body was covered in black clothing, with the exception of his eyes.

"Sir, we have the strip secured. All units are in position." The SWAT leader said.

"Have you made contact with any of the local state military bases?" George asked.

"Negative. For some strange reason we lost all communications. We can't get a hold of anyone or anything. Internet, cell phones and broadcasts are all down. We're limited to short wave radios." The SWAT commander said as two police officers armed with shotguns ran inside the Luxor.

The doors to the other SUV opened and the gang stepped out. Several of the police officers walked over to escort the new arrivals onto the scene. Some of them stared in awe at the kids in their virtual forms who looked like super heroes or a bunch of kids from some cosplay convention.

Sissi looked around in wonder as she began to take in the sights of the town. In the distance she could see the town's famous hotels and casinos she read about or saw in TV. The view matched the "glitter and glitz" she used to hear about.

She sighed. "If only we were here in Vegas when it was not during all of this."

"I know right? Its kind of a let down." Yumi added as she pulled out her fans.

Sissi stared at Yumi and her virtual form for a second. "Maybe I should go to Lyoko some time and get me a virtual costume and weapon. I bet I would look like Wonder Woman."

Odd came closer to Sissi. "Don't get your hopes up. I wasn't too thrilled about what happened to me."

"Why?"

Odd stopped and turned towards Yumi and Sissi. He slowly lifted up his tail and pointed at it with a shade of disappointment on his face.

"I think you look good in purple and besides, your arrow like guns are really cool." Sissi said. "Plus, cats are better then dogs anyways."

"What? Hell no they're not! Just hearing that makes me miss my little diggity dog." Odd lowered his tail and turned to Yumi. "I hope _your_ family is taking care of him."

"Don't they always?" Yumi asked.

"The last time they watched Kiwi they fed him sushi. You'd rather not like to know how Ulrich's part of the room looked like the next morning. Raw fish and wasabi are not good for Kiwi's digestive System…"

Meanwhile, the second man in riot gear walked up to Travis. He wore a large blue vest with several pockets for carrying ammo magazines and other types of equipment for completing his job. He removed his helmet, revealing a tall man with a shaved head and large green eyes. On his hip dangled a PSD assault rifle. It was standard issue for SWAT teams. The gun looked like a shortened down M4, only this gun was heavier and fired a 6.8 mm round.

"Special Agent Dalesman? I'm Lieutenant Kruzan. Las Vegas police department. We got this part of the strip under control. Right now we're working with other local agencies to secure the other half of the strip until the military arrives." the man said.

"Good. Where is the local FBI agents at here in town?" Travis asked.

"About a hour or two out... They were investigating reports of a individual who we believe is some type of psychotic serial killer." Kruzan said as he led the team inside The Luxor.

The casino was eerily quiet. It was perhaps the first time that the casino was so empty. Poker chips and cards left by the crowd rushing off the casino littered the floor. Only the casino staff was on hand as they attempted to clean up the mess from the ensuing panic.

"How is the evacuation going?" Ulrich asked, concerned as he noticed the still large crowds outside on the streets.

"Well, it's having issues but I'm sure that in a few minutes the streets will be vacant." Kruzan replied.

"We don't have a few minutes! We got company coming and they aren't gonna care for pedestrians." Ulrich said firmly.

Kruzan stopped and turned to the young samurai. He scoffed at the way he was dressed.

"Look kid. This is a issue of national security." Kruzan said firmly. "Why don't you and your little Justice League friends go play hero somewhere else?"

Hearing that, Jessica got in the SWAT leaders face. "Excuse me Lieutenant, but these _Justice Leaguers_ are with us and they're the best chance of stopping what's on our way."

"You mean all this is so those kids can play Superman or something?" Kruzan asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"This is a matter of national security… not even that, _global security_. They warned us about this and will help us deal with it. If you don't like what is going on then you are free to leave!" Jessica said loudly.

Kruzan's face hardened in anger as he nodded and turned around and walked out. He walked over and coordinated with another SWAT member.

"OK so what do we do?" Odd asked. "If Xervix and his team is on the way, we need to get ready."

Travis looked around at the group. Aelita was still clutching the System, which glowed brightly. Jeremy stood right behind her. He stayed by her side the whole time ever since they left Area 51. Travis realized that without any sort of protection he would be an easy target.

"Ulrich, Yumi and George, you're with me. We will go stand guard outside." Travis commanded as he unbuckled his hip holster from around his waist. The holster carried his 1911 pistol that he was issued in the FBI.

"Jessica, Odd and William. You three stay here and watch Sissi, Jeremy and Aelita... And Jeremy…" Travis called him and handed the blond teen his pistol.

Jeremy's eyes opened wide as he realized what Travis was giving him. Jeremy looked at the gun curiously as he looked up towards Travis.

"Keep her safe."

"I...I cant-" Jeremy stuttered in fear.

Before he could finish, Travis grabbed Jeremy's hand and lifted it up to revive the pistol.

"All you do is push the little red button on the side and squeeze. There are only seven rounds in it so make it count." Travis explained shortly.

"What? I'm not a warrior, I'm just the tech guy, I can't fight! What if I mess up?" Jeremy started to defend himself from taking the gun.

"You haven't yet," Jessica said as she checked her MP5. "Anyone who knowingly breaks the law, who sacrifices all his time and effort and is willing to do anything for the one they love is able to overcome and accomplish anything."

"Yeah Jeremy... we have faith in you. You got us this far. If it wasn't for you the whole world would have ended a long time ago." Yumi tried to comfort Jeremy as she wrapped her arm around the blonde's neck.

"Not to mention that when ever anything goes wrong; you're always the first up to help with anything." William said.

"Think of the pistol like a mouse...Just point and click." George advised him.

Reassured Jeremy looked around towards all of his friends and nodded in agreement. He took the holster and clipped the buckle onto his waist line.

Travis pulled back the charging handle on his rifle as he led George, Yumi and Ulrich outside the casino, leaving Jessica, Sissi, William, Odd, Jeremy and Aelita inside.

The eerie silence once again filled the casino until Odd finally spoke up.

"I'm hungry." Odd said.

The other five inside the casino instantly face palmed right away.

Outside the casino the local law enforcement agencies were hard at work patrolling the areas and clearing the tourists and other civilians off the street. They were having a difficult time doing so though, as many of the pedestrians were too stubborn to work with.

Ulrich and Yumi walked over and sat next to a bench near the huge mock Sphinx that sat outside the large, black, pyramid shaped casino.

"Never thought it would come down to this, wouldn't it?" Yumi asked.

"I thought we were done with Xana and Lyoko. I guess in a way we are." the brown haired teen said.

"I'm worried Ulrich." Yumi admitted quietly. She folded her arms around her shoulders as she started to act timid and shy.

Ulrich looked over his left shoulder towards his girlfriend and wondered what did she mean.

"About Xervix?"

"And other things as well…" Yumi said

"Like what?"

"Mal-Tech. Think about it. They know about Jeremy and Aelita… what if they come after us, too? What if they take my family away or you? I've come so far in the past few years. I… don't want to lose everyone I care for."

"I'm not gonna let that happen to you," Ulrich reassured her.

"But what if you're wrong? What if you can't?"

Ulrich wasn't sure but for a minute he thought he saw some small tears forming in her eyes… which seemed impossible. Even though her head still looked normal, it was merely a virtual shell created from nano machines from Area 51. Even though it was like she was wearing a skin tight mask or something along those lines, it could not hide her emotions.

"All I ever wanted was to feel like I belong... like I fit in. You and the others, my family... you give me that. I don't wanna be the outcast anymore." Yumi said.

"You wont go back to that way again Yumi... You're no outcast. To me, you're an example of how people should live. And that is one reason why you're beautiful in my eyes." Ulrich said.

Yumi smiled timidly. "Am I beautiful?"

"In many ways," Ulrich said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so lucky to have you. I would do anything for you... Just so you can smile the next day."

There was a small pause in between them as they stared at each other. Then they began to move closer to each other and slowly kissed each other on the lips. They held there for a few minutes as a fire truck drove past them.

Finally they released the lip lock and looked at each other.

"I see you remembered," Ulrich joked.

Yumi gave him a questioning look.

"When I had to teach you how to kiss on the lips?" Ulrich said in a jokingly manner.

"Hey, if you're trying to make me blush it's not gonna work...Which that was weird." Yumi said.

"Yeah I noticed too... there was no heat from your lips when I kissed you. Almost cold."

"Must be the Nano Machines that created the virtual envelope." Yumi suggested.

"At least there was no Odd or your brother to interrupt us this time." Ulrich joked.

Sissi stood in the front hallway of the hotel. She was admiring the replica of a Egyptian statue on the wall. Even though it was obviously fake, the site of it reminded her of pictures out of history books. The unique carvings to resemble ancient hieroglyphics and the orange color of the rock truly added to the atmosphere of the hotel. Yet she still couldn't shake her mind off of everything that had happened… and what was to come.

"One day I will have a statue just like that." a voice joked from behind.

Sissi turned to see Odd walking towards her. Originally the sight of Odd in his Lyoko form was weird and almost alien to her. However it was starting to grow on her. Sissi smiled and walked over to the oversized cat.

"Think they can find enough rock for your hair?" Sissi added.

"Got that planed already." Odd said.

Sissi looked at the short teen.

Odd rubbed his hands through his hair. "Pure gold!"

Sissi snickered a little as she turned to look at the statue.

Odd noticed the teen girl was unusual quiet for some reason... She even seemed a bit off for some reason, like something was bothering her.

"Hey, you OK?"

"You don't wanna know. You got a lot on your mind with all that's going on…" Sissi tried to put him off.

Odd walked in front of Sissi. Odd noticed Sissi's depressed face as her eyes hinted at something inside her. He would not give up so easily.

"I'm tired... of being alone." Sissi finally said.

Odd looked at her in confusion. He tried to figure out what she meant.

"Truth is, I never wanted to hurt any of you originally. I never had any friends either. I wanted to be friends with you guys, because for some reason we always connected and..." Sissi started.

"_I didn't think it would be this bad" _Odd thought.

"Wait what about Herve and Nicholas? Weren't they your friends?" he asked.

"No. I should have treated them better... Now they're with Tanell and hate me. It's because I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve to be with you guys."

Odd walked closer to Sissi as he tried to think of a way to comfort her.

"I'm just a spoiled little daddy's girl. My mother would be ashamed of me."

"Your mother?" Odd asked.

"She died when I was young... in a car accident." Sissi said. "And my father never had time for me outside of school... I had no one for the longest time. In a way I still am." Sissi said as her eyes turned red.

"Sissi… you're wrong." Odd said.

Sissi wiped some tears from her face and looked up towards the purple warrior.

"Sure, you may have been a pain some times but you changed... and now I'm glad you're with us." Odd said, trying to make her feel better.

Sissi sniffled a little. "You... sure?"

"Yeah. You helped us get this far. You don't go after Ulrich anymore and-" Odd began until Sissi cut him off.

"I never had a crush on Ulrich." Sissi said.

"And if it... WHAT!" Odd said loudly in surprise.

"We may have been friends in elementary school. And I kind of liked him back then, but... I didn't have a crush on him."

"Wait, wait!" Odd buried his hands in his hair. "You mean Ulrich... Ulrich Stern. The boy you followed, stalked, and the boy who you always called, _**Ulrich Sweety**_ or my personal favorite _**Schnockums**_... and you always tried to break him and Yumi up… Now you're telling me you didn't have a crush on him?"

Sissi averted her sight off Odd and gazed in the distance. "I was jealous… that Ulrich and Yumi had something I always wanted but never could have. A relationship." she admitted. Then she looked again at Odd, who stood there, shocked.

"I know! It was a horrible thing for me to do."

"What about Herve?" Odd asked.

"Herve was too shy even when I called his bluff on it once." Sissi said.

"Well… It would be weird dating him. You could play _connect the dots on his face_ on a date." Odd joked.

Sissi smiled a little as she breathed out a little.

"Sissi… You're a beautiful woman. You're kind, caring, and gorgeous… but that's not why you're beautiful now." Odd said. She looked at him in confusion.

"Do you remember when Tanell brought Yumi at the verge of tears? You saw and knew what she was doing and you know what I know..." Odd said.

"And that is?"

"She wants to use Ulrich. After the lunch room incident I started observing Tanell and that's when I saw that she is worse then you ever used to be. She likes to make boys feel like they got a chance and then destroy them by using them and dumping them with the promise of a date. She takes pride in it. Remember when Nathan was dating her then she called it off and how she treated him?"

Sissi nodded in agreement.

"She enjoyed watching him in pain. And that is really horrid.

It's something _you_ think you do but you don't. You used to have boys wrapped around your fingers, hopping around and obey your orders. You can still do that now, but you don't... You choose not to use boys and be their friend rather then their commander. And you always look out for everyone. You rather act like the big sister to most of the kids at school... And that is what makes you beautiful." Odd said as he put his hand on her arm. "Beautiful to _me_."

Sissi blushed so badly, she turned and covered her face.

"_Great, Odd… You just made it worse... I knew this was a job for William and not me... You're just a stupid kid, Odd. What would she want with you?" _Odd thought.

Then, Sissi turned around. She felt it was the right moment.

"There is one person I have a crush on." She said.

Odd looked up at the teen girl.

"There is a boy at our school who used to message me on Okcupid and... he is in a lot of my classes, and I know who he is."

Odd's eyes grew large as he suddenly remembered what Sissi was talking about.

"Who?"

Sissi folded her arms as she looked at him.

"I'm not dumb. At first I was a little creeped out because we used to go at each others throats but...as of late..."

"Um... Well. Yeah, we have," Odd stammered.

Sissi suddenly realized what she had said. "_Great Sissi.. .Great. You just made this worse. I knew I should have asked Aelita or Yumi to help me with this. You're a stupid girl… .what would he want with you?"_

"Sissi? Would you like to hang out just the two of us when we get back?" Odd and Sissi asked simultaneously. Both teens froze and turned away.

"Yes I would love to" they said again at the same time.

The two teens stared at each other. Neither of them moved or blinked. Instead they thought long and hard about what they had just agreed to. It shook their minds, here were two people who teased each other for the longest time... and now they were dating.

Suddenly, they burst into laughter. Their unanimous agreement made it easier to release the tension between them.

"We better go check on Jeremy and Aelita." Odd suggested.

Sissi finally stopped laughing and nodded in agreement.

"Hey Odd? I wanna help you guys but I don't know if I can." She admitted.

"I had the same issues too... but all you got to do is let it happen." Odd said in his usual high pitched voice.

Jeremy and Aelita both sat in a booth next to the wall. They sat close to each other, both anticipating in fear the hell that would break loose within any minute. The System sat on the table. It continued to glow in the usual rhythmic pattern.

Aelita continued to stare at the orb. Something about it made her feel a tad bit peaceful. It almost made her forget her worries... Almost.

Jeremy pulled out his cell phone as he hit the number that was on hold.

"Puck, any luck on the trap?" he asked.

"I had to activate all the towers on Lyoko, but I lost connection to the power plants all over Nevada... I can re-route the power from the nuclear plants in other parts of the country... but it would take a little longer." Puck said.

"We got no other choice... do it." Jeremy said hesitantly. The call went back onto hold as he placed the phone back into his pocket.

Jeremy looked towards Aelita. She hadn't spoken much since they got here. It was a rare sight to see Aelita so quiet. She was always sunny, cheerful and happy when she was near him.

"Aelita? You OK?"

"I'm scared." Aelita said hoarsely.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you I promise." Jeremy said.

"Not for me... for you," she confessed.

Jeremy looked towards Aelita in confusion.

"I know you said you would protect me but... I don't wanna lose _you_. Not now. Not ever. Not like I lost my father."

Jeremy moved closer towards Aelita as he waited for her to continue.

"You won't, Aelita. I didn't come all this way to have something happen…"

A growling noise came from the direction of her stomach.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita nodded as she felt both embarrassed and disappointed that she couldn't finish what she had to say.

Jeremy looked around for something. He got up out of his seat and walked over to what looked like a bar. But he noticed Aelita was right behind him. She didn't want to leave his side.

Aelita's tummy growled again only louder.

"Can I eat something with these things on?" Aelita wondered.

"I guess so." Jeremy handed Aelita a glass of soda to drink.

She took a small swig out of it. She felt it go down her throat and into her belly. As soon as she felt that, she began to drink more. Aelita finished the glass and put it on the counter. Jeremy handed her another glass of soda. Without hesitation, the pink teen grabbed it and began to drink it.

As she finished, she turned towards the blond boy who was busy cleaning his glasses.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Jeremy asked as he walked around the bar. He tried to distract them from thoughts of the inevitable fight.

"How could I forget? I woke up looking at a video link of you. Didn't know who I was…" Aelita said as she sat the empty glass on the table. "I remember the time you tried to devirtualize me, and how I almost got deleted. According to Ulrich you were a mess."

"Yeah, I was. I was relieved when I discovered you weren't really lost forever, but that your virtual code was scattered. You were just fragments... do you remember what it felt like?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't. One minute I'm saying goodbye to you and the next I woke up on the floor of a tower. How did you do that anyways?"

"It was the virtual soul remember? Your body, mind and soul was stored in there. When you were devirtualized it stored you as memory inside the memory sector that we rediscovered. Placing the hair inside the scanner fooled the computer into thinking you were virtualized. I never knew the truth of where your virtual soul was till we found out about the memory sector." Jeremy said.

"And remember when I finally came to earth? Oh, it was so strange... Yet even though we learned of my past it turned into a good time anyways." Aelita said. "And our first kiss?"

"That was strange, too. I was shocked. Odd and Ulrich had to carry me back to my room. Not to mention our first date."

"And then there was the... gymnasium incident…" Aelita tried not to laugh. "When it happened it was really embarrassing, but now it's just something you can look back and laugh at."

"We had a lot of good times." Jeremy admitted.

"Why did it take two years for us to finally admit our feelings?" Aelita wondered.

Jeremy's smile turned to a frown as he thought about the words that just came out of Aelita's mouth.

"I mean, we had a crush on each other for so long... And sometimes I thought we were together... But for some reason you kept going inside your shell, only coming out when I needed help. Why? Was it me?"

Jeremy suddenly turned towards Aelita. His face was pointing down towards the ground.

"No, it wasn't you... It was me." he said as he removed his glasses. "Before I met you, I was alone. I literally had only my mom and dad. I was always picked on as a kid and one day I got beat up at school... real bad."

Aelita looked towards Jeremy with sympathy as she listened. She never heard about Jeremy having this type of experience.

"Some kids beat me up. Broke my wrist and glasses and kicked me multiple times while I was down. All because I couldn't get on the school swim team. What was worse was the principal did nothing. Then my parents transferred me to Kadic where most kids were jealous of my perfect grades. I thought I was never gonna know what it's like to have friends... And then I met you, and Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, William and Sissi. Thanks to you I have honestly never felt better."

Aelita smiled as she listened to his story. " Well you're welcome Jeremy. I'm glad I could help."

"Help is not enough. You saved me from myself and my fears. And then… I felt something I have never felt before. I would think about you almost all the time. I just wish I could have done more for you."

"You did. But from the way you're sounding, you need me as much as I need you." Aelita said, walking closer to Jeremy.

Jeremy looked towards Aelita as Aelita starred him in the eye. Her small frail face warmed his heart in ways no one ever did. Aelita placed her hands on Jeremy's shoulders as she looked up into her best friends face.

"I don't deserve you." Jeremy muttered. "After you got out of the computer and you were freed from Xana, I still acted like I had to free you... Because of that I neglected you and failed to save your father." He finished with tears forming in his eyes.

"We have had some rough times, but there is one thing I have learned from my father... The past is there to learn from, not to fear." Aelita said. "And Jeremy... don't talk like that! You deserve happiness." Aelita said.

The room fell silent as the two teens continued to stare at each other. The smell from many cigarettes and cigars still filled the room. It made breathing a tad bit difficult for the conditions.

Jeremy looked around the room at the mess from the evacuating crowds.

"You mean it?"

"You've been trying to save me for so long now. Isn't it time some one saved _you_?" Aelita said. She bit her lip as she finally worked up the courage to say the words she had always wanted to say. "I need you… I'm in love with you." Aelita finally admitted.

"Aelita?" She turned to look at a fully red Jeremy. "I love you too." Jeremy said as a small tear ran down his cheek.

Never did Jeremy think he would ever feel or hear the words from a woman. He felt warm inside like never before.

Aelita reached out and held Jeremy's hands. "The day you saved me from shutting down the computer... the day you freed me from Xana and all you have done for me in the past few months... made me absolutely sure about it."

Aelita walked up to Jeremy and pressed herself against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jeremy placed his arms around her back as Aelita rested her head on Jeremy's chest. She could still smell the fresh scent of pine trees on him. Aelita slowly closed her eyes as she listened to Jeremy's heart beat. It was beating fast. Considering that this was the first time he had ever had some one care for him.

"You feel so warm." Aelita whispered.

Odd and Sissi slowly walked into the casino lobby. As they entered, Sissi suddenly stopped and pointed towards their two friends in the center of the room. They both looked so innocent together. It reminded her of a scene from a Disney movie.

Odd tapped on Sissi's shoulder. He put his finger up to his lips as a gesture to stay quiet. Slowly he led Sissi out of the lobby and back out into the hobby.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Sissi asked.

"Its about time those two became boyfriend and girlfriend... Even though they didn't have as much drama as Ulrich and Yumi."

A fire truck entered the parking lot of the Luxor. It was being used to help barricade the parking lot of the building. Several police and SWAT teams stood in their positions, prepared and ready for anything. They were to originally clear the strip, but it soon turned into a futile effort as more and more crowds gathered to see what was going on. Several news teams tried to enter the parking lot but were met with police who quickly turned them back.

A local news helicopter tried to enter the airspace but was turned back due to the overwhelming presence of the 3 SWAT helicopters. Many members of the press were screaming harassment and that the Police were breaking their constitutional rights to broadcast the news.

"What a mess, huh?" George said as he stood outside the door to the casino.

"Never gets old." Travis said as he took a swig from a bottle of water one of the SWAT members had given him. "They don't care about their rights or the story. They just want something to give them a little extra on their paycheck... Vultures," he scoffed.

Ulrich and Yumi approached the two feds, trying to keep a low profile.

"Hey uh... Agent Dalesman?" Yumi asked.

"Call me Travis. What's up?"

"Should we be outside during all of this?"

George chuckled a little. "The world was gonna find out sometime... Might as well be now."

Jessica stepped outside of the hotel. She was holding her radio as she continued her attempt to get some form of communication with the world outside Las Vegas. She looked frustrated as she finally put the radio away.

William also stepped outside. He held his hand over his forehead as he tried to block the sun out of his eyes. He noted all the activity outside, yet he still felt that it would not be enough.

"Any luck?" George called out.

"All I can get is the city's radio traffic... It's ridiculous." Jessica grunted.

"We got the latest in technology and the only thing we seem to put it into is our dam cell phones, computers and televisions. Ain't society great?" William joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"So what are we holding for?" Yumi asked.

"We're waiting for orders on where to take the System... As of right now though we can't contact anyone. The plan was originally to take you guys to Area 51 to devise a plan. I guess there is no plan now," Jessica explained.

"Don't worry. We'll get out of this no problem." Ulrich said.

"You sure kid? We got some mean dudes heading this way." George asked.

"Ah... rookies." Ulrich joked.

Suddenly Jessica's radio buzzed and hummed as a lout noise came through it. Jessica held the radio up to her face and listened. Travis and George walked closer to her as they tried to make something out of the noise. Travis looked around and noticed that the other radios that the police were using were making the exact same noise.

Yumi looked towards Ulrich. She realized it was the same noise that they had heard weeks ago through Odd's cell phone. The last time they heard that noise the cafeteria exploded and Xervix appeared.

"What is that?" George asked.

After a few seconds, the noise stopped and they radios returned to their previous function.

"We're in trouble. Last time we heard that noise... Xervix attacked." Ulrich said as he slowly drew his sword.

The doors to the casino flew open as Aelita, Sissi, Odd and Jeremy ran outside. Aelita was holding the System in her hands.

"We heard some kind of loud noise over the loud speakers of the casino... What's going on?" Odd asked.

One of the helicopters flying over head suddenly stopped.

"This is Sky-eye 2. We got a unidentified object flying due west. Heading here awfully fast." The helicopter pilot said over the radio.

"Do you have a visual?" asked Jessica. The answer came after a moment of silence.

"It looks like a giant bird man of some type... What the hell is it?" she heard the pilot's voice over the radio.

Hearing the pilot's report, the gang froze. They realized exactly what it was.

"Tell him to get out of the way! NOW!" Jeremy yelled.

"Sky-eye 2 veer off, now! I repeat, veer OFF!" Jessica shouted over the radio.


	39. Chapter 39

Aether rose into the air as he approached the helicopter. He soared over the roof of several buildings as he continued to gain altitude.

"You dirty ants! You have no right to fly ANYWHERE!" the Titan shouted.

Aether opened his beak. An orange light began to glow in his mouth. He fired a thin laser beam, which hit the helicopter. The beam sliced through the rear rotor of the helicopter, sending it into a downward spiral.

The beam then continued past the chopper and down towards the police blockade. The laser sliced into the trunk of a police car, cutting it off. The vehicle suddenly exploded; the officers and crew next to it ran for cover. The beam then continued down the same path, slicing small pieces of asphalt and pavement off the road and into the air. Suddenly the beam disappeared as Aether roared into the sky.

The radios around the casino came abuzz as the pilot and its crew attempted to save the helicopter. The chopper spun around even faster as it came closer and closer to the ground. The blades of the chopper screeched and screamed as they shook in the air. Its engine revved and bellowed all the way to the ground.

The chopper dropped to the ground hard and fast. The metal body grinded and slammed across the concrete road as it skidded along. The chopper finally came to a halt as it slammed into the front of the Mandalay Bay casino. People scattered like mice as the chopper smashed into the glass front of the building.

Aether flew over the Luxor casino. Aelita could hear him laughing over the noise of the crashed chopper.

People began to run and scatter as they realized this was no Hollywood or publicity stunt.

Several of the EMTs and a few police officers ran towards the crashed chopper. Its pilot opened the door and fell out of the helicopter. His arm was bleeding. The pilot made it a few feet until he collapsed to the ground.

Aether flew over head as he laughed loudly and maliciously. Aelita glared at the Titan in anger. She slowly began to walk in the direction the monster was flying. She almost waved her hand over her bracelet until she felt a hand on her wrist. She turned to see Jeremy holding on to her wrist.

"It's a trap. If you follow him they will jump at you."

Ulrich ran over to check on Yumi who had jumped out of the way of the beam's devastation. She dove to the ground but other wise looked OK.

"Is anyone hurt?" A voice came past the smoke of the burning squad car.

Travis laid on the ground. One of the pieces of debris from the road hit him square in the head. Travis reached for his rifle and slowly stood up. He felt a slight grasp on his shoulder. He looked up to see a purple gloved hand on his wrist.

"You OK, Agent Dalesman?" Odd asked.

"Yeah... Just got conked in the head pretty good." Travis said as he felt blood dripping from his forehead.

"You're bleeding on the left side of your face." Odd said pointing towards Travis's ears.

Travis looked around and saw Jessica and George running over to him with Sissi in tow.

"Where are Jeremy and Aelita?"

Odd pointed behind him. He glanced over to see William approaching the two teens to check on them.

"We're fine, William," Odd overheard Aelita. "What about you?"

"Honestly... Pissed off." William said, making a fist as he talked. "I want to finish those things off once and for all."

Suddenly a loud noise came from behind the police barricade. Jeremy and Aelita turned to see one of the fire trucks ripped in half by a fiery explosion. Then they saw a familiar large golden plated monster step over the remains of the truck; some of them flew in multiple directions.

Atlas stepped down from the wreckage. In his left arm he carried his large gray and silver cannon. He charged the cannon and fired. A red laser shot slammed into a police car, destroying it in another explosion. A second shot hit the street itself, sending large amounts of broken concrete into the air.

Several of the police officers opened fire on the monster. He laughed at the attempts of the police force as the rounds merely bounced off his armor.

"OK, is anyone else tired of this?" William asked.

Ulrich, Odd and Yumi nodded in agreement and they drew their weapons.

"Stay here where it's safe." Odd told Sissi, who nodded in agreement.

Jessica looked back and forth between the two.

"I'll take care of her." she said as she pulled the charging hammer back on her MP5.

Simultaneously, the four warriors charged Atlas and several SWAT teams opened fire. Ulrich leapt over one of the police cars, startling the police officers as he passed. Odd slid under the car and ran on all fours. William turned into white smoke and made his way towards Atlas.

Jeremy pulled out his cell phone and hit the call waiting button.

"Puck, we're in trouble here. What's the situation on the trap?" Jeremy shouted, barely louder than gunfire around him.

"We're back on track, but with the delay we're only at 30%. It's gonna be at least an hour before it's ready." Puck said.

Jeremy and Aelita ran over towards Travis who was directing some of the police officers.

Travis turned to see the two teens.

"We got a problem." Jeremy said.

Meanwhile, Odd ran past a crowd of people who were fleeing for their lives. He ran on all fours to catch up with his target much faster. As he approached Atlas, a large red beam flew past his head. He could feel the wind and the heat from the beam even past the Nano machine virtual suit.

Ulrich sprinted along the left side of the monster as Odd and William drew Atlas's fire, while Yumi ran on the opposite side of the beast.

Atlas fired a second shot towards Odd. In response Odd threw his hands down to the ground and back flipped into the air, twisting his body so that the shot would fly directly underneath him. No sooner then he did, a second shot edged even closer. Odd fired a pair of laser arrows at the beam. The beam and the arrows collided in midair, causing a huge red electrical explosion. Odd leapt through the explosion and landed on his feet.

As soon as he did, a third shot came towards him. Odd held up his hands as a purple shield appeared. The blast hit the shield and exploded. Odd threw his arms aside as he watched a little girl suddenly run out into the streets. He could hear the girl's mother calling her name, madly as she tried to save her daughter. Odd jumped back onto his feet as he ran towards the small child.

Atlas aimed his weapon and fired a fourth shot at the boy.

Odd grabbed the girl, but the laser from Atlas was closing in too fast. Odd turned around so that the round would hit him and not the child. He closed his eyes as he prepared for the incoming painful sensation.

Suddenly, a white trail of smoke appeared between Odd and the laser. The smoke rose and took on the form of William. William swung his sword and blocked the laser blast, which exploded in contact with the blade. William turned to see Odd and the kid to make sure they were both OK.

"Thanks Will." Odd said quickly as he ran the kid back towards her mother. Then, he turned and ran towards the giant attacker.

William also ran towards Atlas, holding his blade out so he could deflect any more of Atlas's blasts.

Ulrich sprinted towards the monster and jumped on his back. Atlas reeled under his new passenger. Ulrich took his blade and stabbed Atlas in the arm. The blade went through the monster's tough skin. But no sooner did Ulrich stab his sword into him than Atlas grabbed the teen off his back and launched him several feet into the air. Ulrich felt like he was flying again as he landed on the roof of a parked car. The windows of the car shattered and the roof flattened under the impact.

William and Odd ran together towards the monster. William turned and held the broad side of his sword towards Odd. Realizing what William had in mind, Odd jumped onto the sword. William swung the sword, launching Odd high into the air. As Odd rose, he began firing multiple shots towards Atlas.

Atlas reeled from the arrows hitting his body. One shot caused Atlas to throw his hands into the air.

Yumi saw this as an opportunity. She ran and jumped, spinning in the air like a top. She threw her fans at Atlas. The fan blades glowed and whirled like a pair of table saws. One blade sliced throw the barrel of Atlas's cannon, destroying the gun. The other fan sliced Atlas's other arm where Ulrich had stabbed it. When Yumi landed, she heard a loud thud as Atlas landed on the ground.

She turned to see the injured Titan. She closed her eyes and focused all of her mental power on the burning remains of the fire truck. Her head glowed white as the blazing wreck was being lifted slowly into the air. Then Yumi threw both her hands towards Atlas. The truck slammed into the giant titan. Flames and embers flew everywhere as the monster was literally being pinned to the ground.

As the city paid its attention to the battle near the Luxor casino, another dark monster landed in a side alley. Its black wings folded into its back and disappeared.

Xervix growled loudly as he prepared to enter the battle scene. He clenched his claw like hands and grinned his sharp nails together as he prepared to make his mark on the world.

Ulrich stood up and noticed the dark skinned monster slowly stomping down the alley way. He realized exactly who it was. It was the same demon like monster that attacked him on Lyoko weeks ago. The same one who was hunting Aelita and Jeremy like a predator.

"Look out!" Ulrich shouted as he prepared both of his blades.

Yumi, Odd and William spotted Ulrich drawing his blades and facing down the alley. As soon as Yumi spotted Ulrich, she saw Xervix turn the corner and look straight at Ulrich.

Travis stopped dead in his tracks as he realized just how large the beast truly was. It was larger than an elephant.

Xervix held out his hands as a large black cylinder protruded from his hand.

Ulrich pulled his swords out and crossed them as he prepared to deflect the oncoming blast.

Xervix fired a black laser blast towards the yellow samurai. The blasts hit the sides of blades, but it was too large and heavy to block. The beam exploded in front of Ulrich, sending him several feet backwards. Ulrich lost one of his swords as it flew a few feet and skidded off to his left.

Ulrich bounced off the side walk a couple of times before slamming into the side of a car. He looked around as he tried to get his bearings. As his vision slowly returned he realized Xervix was now standing right in front of him.

Xervix pulled his scythe out as he prepared to deliver a finishing blow to the teen.

"The world is mine!" he growled as he tightened his body in preparation to strike.

Suddenly a stream of bullets struck Xervix, causing him to reel and lose his focus on his target. Xervix looked up to see who was firing at him.

It was Travis who fired his rifle in burst shots. The M4 rifle's muzzle glowed as lead poured in streams out of its gun.

Xervix suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked down to see one bullet had done more damage then he could expect from any human weapon. Xervix realized that he was in a tight spot. The monster grabbed Ulrich, wrapping his claw like hands around the teen and lifting him into the air. Xervix tossed the kid towards Travis. Seeing this, the agent stopped firing and lowered his weapon. Ulrich hit Travis in the shoulder as he landed on top of him.

Travis flipped the boy off him; meanwhile George ran up with his ACR. He joined in on the shooting as he attempted to save his friend.

Xervix jumped into the air and flew off as the bullets whizzed past his head.

William and Odd watched Xervix fly off into the air. They noticed the pain the creature seemed to be in as it grabbed its side.

"Hey this might be easy?" Odd said.

Before William could reply, he saw a black puff of smoke moving across the ground. It wasn't like normal smoke, it was more or less like it was alive. But what was even weirder, it looked as if a woman was riding the smoke. She wore green and red armor with black hair. She jumped off the cloud as the black smoke flowed towards the direction of the Caesars Palace. The smoke snaked up the side of the building and rose to the roof as it began to take form of a man in a long black cloak. His face was barely recognizable, yet still all too familiar to William, even from this distance.

"Looks like I spoke too soon..." commented Odd.

William drew his sword and walked towards Tartarus.

"William? Where are you going?" Odd asked.

"Do my part... I'll be back."

Tartarus also pulled out his sword, which was a twisted, warped version of William's sword with thick black veins running through the blade.

William walked a couple of steps and disappeared into a cloud of white smoke. However, the smoke wasn't just the same smoke like on Lyoko. Inside the smoke was William in physical form. The nano suit turned into the smoke and carried the teen through the area.

The smoke flowed fast and furiously towards the Caesars Palace casino. As white cloud arrived on top the casino, William rematerialized. He looked square in Tartarus's face.

William brought his sword up to his shoulders as Tatarus rose his sword in front of him. They both jumped into the air at the same time. William swung his sword and clashed with Tartarus in midair.

Xervix stood a little ways down the street. He looked around at the chaos engulfing the street. A look of both satisfaction and enjoyment say on his face as he gazed around the area. He knew that Aether and Atlas were already on scene. And with Chaos and Tartarus arriving on the scene, the situation was going to be under complete control. Xervix had the upper hand. Everything was falling according to plan. He decided the time was right.

"TITANS! ATTACK!" Xervix yelled, rising his hand into the air.

Atlas tossed the ruined fire truck off of his body and growled loudly as he prepared to attack. He reached out and grabbed half of the fire truck that Yumi tossed at him before. He heaved it up with one hand and tossed it with one hand high into the air. The truck flew several feet and finally came crashing down right in front of the police barricade. Several of the remaining officers fled from the scene in fear.

Chaos walked down the street that ran behind the Luxor. She hissed and snarled as her long snake like tongue licked her lips and teeth. She pulled out her blades and began to spin them fast. She held the blades vertically as the blades scrapped the concrete, sending sparks and pieces of debris into the air. The blades whirled and whined as the chains whistled in the air.

Aether flew over head and landed on top of the MGM casino's golden lion. The statue cracked under the Titan's weight.

Travis and George ran back to the police blockade. The police and SWAT teams were scattered around the area, helping both the injured and civilians. It was becoming obvious that they could no longer protect the gang.

"We gotta get outta here." George said.

He called out to Yumi, Ulrich and Odd, who ran up to the group. Jessica, Sissi, Aelita, and Jeremy ran up to them as well.

"Where's William?" Jessica asked.

"Fighting Tartarus." Odd explained. "What's the plan?"

"It's not safe here anymore. We need to get Aelita and Jeremy out of here before we're over run," Travis said.

"What about those other two LVPD choppers? They could air lift them out of here." Yumi proposed.

"I'll get on the radio and ask them. What about Sissi here?" Jessica asked.

"I'll be fine... I better just stay here while you get them out of here since they're gonna follow you guys." Sissi said.

"OK. I'll stay here and watch after her then. Travis and George, you can go with the kids and help them." Jessica said as she ran off to radio the helicopter.

Travis looked towards the Jeremy and Aelita. "Any luck on that trap?"

"It's almost ready." Jeremy said.

"OK, you two. Stay together, alright?" Travis asked as he pulled back the charging handle on his M4.

George and Odd stood in front while Travis stood behind them. Behind Travis were Jeremy and Aelita while behind them were Ulrich and Yumi.

"Hope that exercise you gave me the other day works out well." Ulrich said.

Yumi wrapped her hand around Ulrich's fingers. "Me too."

Aelita looked around the city. She was ready to fight back and stop all of this from continuing. She looked around and saw Jeremy, who was shaking a little.

"How are you, Jeremy?"

"I'm... scared.. I've never really been in a situation like this before." Jeremy said.

"You'll be fine, just stay close to me," Aelita said.

"I... I can't do this." Jeremy said.

His words brought the attention of Travis who turned to look at the kid.

"You OK?"

"I don't know. I'm still not sure if I'm gonna be of any use here." Jeremy admitted.

"You'll be fine." Travis assured him.

"I told you, I'm not a hero, I-"

Travis slung his rifle and turned to face the scared nerd. "There's no lab here. No computer... This is your moment. You need to be here... For _her_," Travis said firmly, pointing at Aelita.

Aelita grabbed his hand. "I'll protect you Jeremy, I promise... Just please be strong for me."

Jeremy nodded as he looked towards the pink virtual warrior. "You were right."

Aelita looked towards Jeremy in confusion.

"You look a little like Samus Aran." he continued, trying to make not only her feel better but him.

Aelita smiled a little as she hugged him. "Its my turn to protect you," she whispered.

Suddenly, Ulrich noticed the other Titans approaching. He watched as the fire truck landed in front of the barricade.

"GUYS! WE GOTTA GO, NOW!" he yelled.

George popped up and opened fire with his ACR, followed by Odd who fired several laser arrows in rapid succession. They concentrated on Atlas. As soon as they opened fire Aelita, Jeremy, Ulrich and Yumi darted from behind George and Odd. As they broke, Travis followed, then Jessica grabbed Sissi and ran behind them.

Aether flew overhead and fired another laser beam at the group. The beam sent smoke and flames into the air, disorienting Jessica and Sissi. They were forced to stay behind with Odd and George.

Aelita and Jeremy ran side by side while Aelita continued to grasp the System. Jeremy breathed heavily while Aelita breathed her usual breathing pace. She led Jeremy a few inches as she tried to keep up with Ulrich and Yumi.

Sweat poured from Jeremy's forehead as he felt his body already begin to ache. His knees throbbed as his muscles attempted to push himself forwards. Even with the adrenaline running through his body his muscles screamed for him to stop.

Ulrich heard a loud scream from above him, followed by a large dark shadow. He looked up in time to see Aether slam into the ground in front of him. Aether charged up his laser beam once more and fired towards the gang.

Ulrich blocked the shot with his blades and Yumi tossed a fan at the beast. Aether dodged it as he took off into the air again.

Yumi watched Aether fly past one of the casino's roof and turn past it, ready to make another pass.

Aelita passed Jeremy the System as her hands glowed pink.

"The greatest mistake Xervix ever made was allowing you freaks to live!" Aether shouted.

Aelita fired several Orbs into the air. Her hands flung fast in the air as she attempted to shoot down the beast.

Aether dodged the first shots. He began to weave back and forth to avoid the blasts. No sooner did he dodge one than another hit him in the chest, causing the bird man to lose his bearings and sending him crashing to the ground. Aether skidded across the ground and flipped his legs underneath him, sending him straight up to his feet.

Ulrich jumped into the air with his blades drawn. He brought the wings down towards Aether's chest. But before he could deliver the final blow, Aether used his left wing to knock the samurai out of the way.

Ulrich landed on his feet as two bright pink and white fans sliced past him. Aether used his daggers to slice one in half; the other fan missed its target.

Aether fired a beam towards his attackers. The beam missed the group, striking a light pole which in turn shattered.

Aelita pushed Jeremy behind a car and shot multiple energy orbs at Aether. Travis walked past her, firing several rounds from his M4.

Aether used his wings to protect him as the bullets ricochet off them. However, the energy orbs exploded against his wings. He jumped into the air, admitting his defeat. He had no other choice but to retreat. Aether spread his wings as he retreated away from the battle.

"OK, lets go!" Aelita said, grabbing Jeremy.

As soon as Jeremy moved, a large chain cut through the car he was hiding behind. Aelita grabbed Jeremy by the arm and tossed her boyfriend to the side as the blade slid by a hair past his blonde head.

Aelita and Jeremy fell to the ground. They both looked up to see a short woman in orange and green armor. She spun the blades around like a whip. The chains crackled and creaked loudly while spinning.

Ulrich and Yumi walked in front of the two crouching teens as they held their weapons firmly at their sides.

"Remember us?" Yumi asked firmly.

"Oh yes! Last time we met I almost killed you... This time I'll succeed!" Chaos said as she pulled the chain blades to her arms.

"Travis! Get Aelita and Jeremy out of here." Ulrich said as he and Yumi sprinted towards Chaos. Hearing him, Travis grabbed both kids and hurried them off towards the nearest safe spot, which was across the street at the M&M shop.

Meanwhile, Chaos walked towards Ulrich and Yumi. Both teens separated, forming a gap between themselves. Chaos licked her lips as she pictured exactly what she wanted to do.

"I'm gonna enjoy this!" Chaos said as her head began to rotate all the way around. Her neck creaked and cracked as her limbs mimicked the movement of her head. Finally Chaos's head popped loudly. Her head was right in the same location it was originally.

Ulrich and Yumi glanced at each other in confusion as to what they had just seen.

On the top of Caesars Palace casino William sliced his sword towards Tartarus. The sword flowed through the air as it hit another sharp bladed object. Sparks flew from the impact as Williams white sword clanged against Taratarus's black twisted sword. William pressed against his sword as Tartarus did the same in a attempt to push William back. They met face to face; William could see that Taratarus's face closely matched his own.

"So… tell me, William. Have your friends forgiven you?" Tatarus asked.

"What does it matter to you?" William grunted as he pushed Tartarus back.

"Because they will leave you again! Look what you lost since you disappeared. Yumi is now with Ulrich. They set it all up so you can lose her." Tartarus grunted.

"I'm better off their friend then Yumi's lover... And I will find my own girl."

William jumped back as he vertically sliced his sword towards Tartarus. The Titan disappeared into a plume of black smoke, which whirled past William. He attempted to stab it, but the sword penetrated the cloud without hitting anything.

Tartarus reappeared behind William and swiped his sword at him. William brought the sword up behind him and blocked it. Then he turned around and tried to stab Tartarus, who blocked the hit with one of his iron gauntlets on his arm. William's sword creaked as it scratched against the bracelet. William pressed on it harder, pushing down with all his might.

Suddenly the gauntlet creaked as a large crack appeared in it. Tartarus heard the noise and pressed off with his fist. William stumbled back as he realized what just happened.

He and Tartarus continued to exchange sword strikes until they ended up twirling their blades around each other at wicked fast speeds and gradually at the same time, meeting in the middle. Both blades in almost perfect unison.

"You're weak, a failure. You think you belong with them? They will betray you again just like before. You should have joined us." Tartarus mocked.

Tartarus kicked William in the gut, causing William to lose his grip on the sword. As he reeled a little, Tartarus brought the sword above his head and sliced downwards. William brought the sword above his head as he blocked the attack from above.

"I chose my side... And I chose my friends." William said as he pushed off Tartarus's sword. His hand glowed white as he threw a narrow puff of smoke at his opponent.

The smoke hit Tartarus like a bag of bricks. He stumbled towards the ledge of the roof. His rear ankle tripped over the side as he fell backwards off the roof. His body suddenly began to fade as it turned to a familiar black smoke and disappeared over the edge.

William ran up to the edge of the building and jumped off as well. His body exploded into a puff of white smoke as it followed the dark smoke down the side of Caesars Palace. The two smoke trails flowed down the side of the building.

Tartarus and William rematerialized at the same time. They jumped towards each other and slashed their swords only to turn back into smoke after a few quick swipes.

Soon they materialized again and clanged their swords towards each other once more. As they changed back into smoke, the smoke crisscrossed as they switched locations.

The white smoke leapt off the side of the building; Tartarus also leapt from his black smoke. William formed up as he blocked Taratarus's attack. They began to rotate in a free fall, tumbling down the side of the building. As the ground grew even closer, Tartarus grabbed William by the throat and squeezed.

Even if the teen was wearing a Nano suit, he still required air to breathe. William gagged as he released his sword. Tartarus kicked William down farther as they both disappeared into smoke trails.

William's smoke landed on the ground. But even in smoke form it hurt him badly. William leapt from the smoke and landed on his back. The teen gagged as he attempted to recover his breath. When he looked up, he saw Tartarus coming down with both blades aimed at stabbing him. William threw his hands behind him and tossed his legs and all his weight into a backwards somersault; the blades missed, landing in the very area he once laid at.

William bent down and threw out his left leg, tripping Tartarus. William grabbed his sword as Tartarus grabbed his. They both vaporized into smoke and twirled around each other like black and white tornadoes. Every once in a while they would change form and strike at each other. Eventually the tornadoes dispersed as both combatants re formed. They fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.

Tartarus stood on his legs and wobbled a little from the recent strikes.

William fell onto the ground, limp and exhausted. He could feel his own body sweat forming under the nano suit. He tried to get back up but his body had reached its limit, even with the nano suit and his Lyoko powers. The fight had all taken its toll on the individual underneath the suit. He was almost done.

William looked up to see Tartarus picking up his sword. Tartarus walked up to William and placed his foot on William's chest.

"Now... There can be only one. AND THE ONE IS ME!" Tartarus yelled.

William reached for his sword, but it was just barely out of reach.

Tartarus lifted his sword, as he prepared to stab his opponent.

William felt his fingers grasp the sword's handle. He wrapped his fingers around it and pointed it up towards Tartarus. At the same time, Tartarus plunged his sword downward.

Unexpectedly for the Titan, William's sword plunged into his chest. Tartarus gasped and groaned as he dropped his sword to the ground. He wrapped his hands around the blade of the sword as he looked down towards it. White watery liquid flowed out of the wound.

"I'm sorry, but just like my past deeds... It's over." William said as he pulled the sword out of Tartarus.

Tartarus fell backwards; his body was fading away into white digital smoke. Soon all that remained was the sword, the black twisted weapon that William once wielded. William walked over to it and stabbed the eye of Xana part of the sword, breaking it into multiple pieces before they too dissolved.

William stood up straight into the air. He felt a great relief off his chest. He had finally overcome his past and put it behind him.

He had found his retribution.

Groups of people fled as they watched Jeremy and Aelita run towards the near end of the Strip with Travis close behind them.

Jeremy wheezed and coughed as he attempted to keep up with Aelita. He was starting to lag behind.

"Don't stop! .Keep running." Aelita said as she attempted to motivate Jeremy.

Jeremy pulled out his cell phone and hit the resume call button.

"Puck! What's the word!" he shouted desperately.

"We're ready on this end. But we need a point of angle, something that can tell me where to launch the attack from." Puck said.

"OK. We will try to get Xervix towards the Caesars Palace hotel. I'll let you know when we're ready." Jeremy said.

"I've hacked into a com satellite. I'm observing all that's going on down there from here." Puck said. "As soon as Xervix is in position I'll launch the portal."

Suddenly a loud noise came from directly behind the trio. It sounded like a missile falling towards the ground.

Travis turned to see Xervix land behind them as his wings folded into its back.

"GIVE ME THE GIRL BOY!" Xervix shouted.

Travis turned and fired a series of rounds from his M4. The bullets hit Xervix in the head and chest, but unlike last time they did little or no effect to the beast.

Xervix ran up to Travis and backhanded him. Travis dropped his rifle and flew through the window of a nearby bus stop. The glass shattered as he fell onto the bench, knocking the wind out of him.

Aelita turned around and fired multiple energy orbs towards Xervix. The orbs struck Xervix, causing searing pain to flow through the monster's body. Xervix picked up the hood of a car nearby and used it to block the shots.

Travis stood up and grabbed his rifle. He switched magazines and fired upon Xervix.

He turned to Aelita and Jeremy. "RUN!"

"Not with out you!" Aelita shouted back.

"Forget me! Just go!" Travis replied.

Aelita nodded and grabbed Jeremy and ran.

Xervix turned his attention to Travis who was bleeding from the side of his face after being tossed through the glass bus stop booth.

Xervix reached out and grabbed Travis's M4. He squeezed the gun in his claw, crushing the weapon into broken and bent pieces. Xervix laughed as he looked towards Travis.

Travis backed up a little as Xervix ran towards him. The monster reached out and grabbed the agent by the back of his combat harness. He lifted Travis into the air and slammed him into the ground.

Travis felt intense pain rush through his body as his arm felt funny.

Xervix looked up and turned his attention to the two kids running from him. He kicked a car out of his way and continued his chase of the two children.

Aelita and Jeremy ran onto the side walk as they realized that a group of people stood in their way.

Aelita tried to lead Jeremy though the crowd of onlookers when she suddenly felt something trip her as she fell to the ground. As the System touched the ground, it glowed brightly.

Jeremy reached out for Aelita and grabbed her by the hand, but not before accidentally touching the System. It glowed even brighter; suddenly, white light coursed through the concrete. The side walk and road separated as the energy subsided.

Xervix stopped as he watched a street lamp shatter and burst from the energy.

Aelita stood up and quickly led Jeremy inside the Caesars Palace casino. The casino was vacant and empty just like the Luxor. The two teens ran to the side as the entrance to the building suddenly busted apart, revealing a aggravated Xervix.

"You can't hide from me! I can smell your fear, children!" Xervix yelled, his voice echoing through the hallway.

Jeremy and Aelita hid behind a pillar of the casino. They watched as Xervix turned his back on them.

"What do we do?" Aelita asked.

"Let's head up to the stairwell. We can hide in the hotel rooms." Jeremy whispered.

Jeremy grabbed Aelita's hand as he led her behind the slot machines. As they ran, they heard a series of loud footsteps running alongside them. Jeremy looked up to see Xervix running right across from them. The monster threw the slot machines aside as he was directly behind them.

Aelita shirked in fear as she heard the commotion behind her. The two teens ran towards the stair well.

Xervix reached out and suddenly grabbed Jeremy's leg. He lifted Jeremy into the air as he prepared to strike.

Aelita stopped dead in her tracks and jumped into the air. Her fist glowed pink as she punched Xervix in the chest. The orb exploded, causing Xervix to drop Jeremy and fall onto a black jack table.

Jeremy saw the beast land as he felt Aelita's hand wrap around him. He breathed heavily as they limped towards the stair well.

Aelita kicked the door open as she helped Jeremy inside.

Xervix sat up and watched as the two entered the stair well. The beast gleaned a sinister look as he realized they had no place to go but up. It was only a matter of time till he caught them.

Jessica ran back towards the Luxor. She and Sissi had been separated from the others and had to take shelter until the whole mess was over.

They passed by the police barricade, which was a wreck. Some of the officers had fallen back and were busy trying to clean up and tend to the wounded. Others moved on to engage the larger and closer Titan, Atlas.

The site was strewn with wrecked and damaged police cars and the larger half of the fire truck Atlas had tossed towards the police. Some of the cars were twisted and torn in half as if a tornado hit them. Others were no longer intact. Most of them were ripped in half and car parts lay about in several locations. Smoke filled the scene, adding a eerie fog like feel to the scene.

"Jessica… I'm scared." Sissi admitted looking around for signs of life.

Jessica wouldn't admit it, but she was scared too. At least a half hour passed since they lost contact with the rest of the gang, and since then they had not seen any sign of them or the police that was assisting them.

Jessica pulled out her radio as she attempted on last time to make contact with anyone.

"This is Officer Hillsabeck calling anyone on this frequency... Please come in over?"

The radio hissed as she waited for some one to reply.

"I repeat, this is Officer Hillsabeck. Please come in over?" she repeated.

Finally the radio crackled and a familiar voice muttered a few unrecognizable words over the radio.

"Hello? George?" Jessica asked with a sense of stress and relief in her voice.

Finally the radio crackled and Georges voice filled the area loudly.

"Jessica it's George. What's your location?" George asked.

Sissi breathed outwards in relief as smiled. _"Thank god", _she thought.

Jessica's actions mimicked Sissi's as she held up the radio to her face.

"We're back at the police barricade. We got separated when we tried to run with the group." Jessica said as she searched around.

"We got separated too. I'm with Odd. We're on our way back." George paused a little.

Sissi suddenly heard a loud thud come from in front of them. She turned in the direction it came from.

"Odd wants to know if Sissi is with you?" George asked.

The loud noise came again. Sissi was sure it was something right in front of them. Or worse, something heading their way.

"Yeah she's here. We..." Jessica stammered as she heard the same noise and what sounded like chains rattling.

"Jessica? Jessica come in over?" George asked over the radio.

Jessica ignored it. She took Sissi by the hand and positioned the teenager behind her. She then pulled up her MP5 up to shoulder length as she looked around for the source of the sound.

The noise came again, this time it sounded closer and louder. Then came another. It was even louder, which meant that whatever was making the noise was getting closer.

Sissi peeked her head around Jessica's shoulder. She looked in the same direction for the source of the noises.

Then a low growl filled the air. It sounded more like the growl of a man and less of a animal.

Jessica placed her weapon on fire as she wrapped her index finger around the trigger.

Suddenly, large form appeared out of the smoke. It almost the size of a train car. Gold glistened off its body. A huge head looked down towards them.

"Oh...My GOD!" Sissi screamed in fear at the sight of Atlas.

Jessica fired several rounds at the Titan. The small 9mm rounds bounced off its armor as it walked closer towards the two women.

"You think such tiny creatures can harm me?" Atlas bellowed.

Jessica continued firing until her rifle ran out of ammunition. She attempted to change magazines, but she dropped her spare mag to the ground. The magazine bounced a few inches and came to a stop, only to be crushed by Atlas's large iron clad like boot.

Atlas pulled out one of his blades and pointed the curved scythe like sword towards the women.

"Only the strong shall inherit the Earth... and the weak are destined to perish." Atlas said in a low voice.

Suddenly a loud noise came from above. The sound moved closer and closer as a dash of purple landed on Atlas's back. Atlas dropped his sword at the force of the impact. He flipped around as he attempted to shake loose the object that was latched onto his neck.

Atlas turned his back on the girls to reveal exactly what it was on his back.

It was Odd. Sissi cried out to him in both relief and dread.

Odd planted one of his hands into Atlas's neck. The small sharp claws dug into its neck, causing Atlas to scream in pain. Atlas stumbled and fell to the ground face first. The impact from the Titan's landing caused the ground to shake like during an earthquake.

As soon as Atlas landed, George ran up and grabbed the hands of the two girls. He led them back inside the Luxor casino with Odd right behind them. The group ran up to the entrance. Suddenly, a large hand came out of nowhere and grabbed Odd. He looked like a doll in the Titan's hand.

Atlas hoisted Odd into the air and began to squeeze tightly.

"Pathetic, SCRAWNY MEAT SACK!" Atlas shouted.

"I'm not scrawny... IM SVELTE!" Odd protested. He fired multiple laser arrows at the Titan's hand, making the giant release him.

As George led the girls inside, he suddenly saw a large purple object fly through the glass door at wicked speeds. Odd bounced several feet along the ground until he came to a halt, hitting on of the casino's slot machines. The machine turned on as it hit 7 on all 3 bars, causing a flow of change to pour onto the boy.

Odd slowly sat up as he tried to regain his bearings. But as soon as he did, he heard a loud commotion come from outside. He looked up to see Atlas burst through the front of the casino and run towards the purple cat boy. Odd got up and ran away. He could hear the loud footsteps of the monster behind him. They were hot on his heels.

Odd ran straight through the casino on all four limbs. He was usually faster on his legs, but in this case it wasn't doing him much good.

Atlas reached out and grabbed a slot machine. He pulled it up, at the same time lifting several other slot machines connected by the same cord. As the machines flew into the air, a small old woman was revealed sitting in front of one of the machines. She paid no attention to the commotion, too preoccupied with trying to win big.

Atlas hurled the group of machines over his head. He twirled the cord around which caused the machines to rotate around his head. He hurled the machines at Odd. Odd jumped high into the air; the machines barely missed as they flew directly under him. But as soon as he reached the peak of his jump, he felt the same large arm grab him. Atlas lunged forward to catch him.

The pair crashed through the wall of the casino; they fell a few feet until they landed on the street below, which was still filled with pedestrians and packed with a flow of traffic trying to get out of the city. Atlas landed in the middle of the intersection with Odd landing right next to him.

A blue blazer stopped within inches of Atlas. The driver was a young teenage girl and her friends. Atlas looked up in time to see the headlights stop directly in front of him. The Titan stood up and grabbed the front end of the car, lifting it high above his head with only one hand. The occupants of the car screamed loudly in fear and cried for help.

"I LOVE THIS WORLD!" Atlas growled.

Odd stood up and stared directly at the monster. "Set them down, now!"

"And who's gonna make me?" Atlas joked.

Odd looked at his hand and calculated quickly. His normal laser arrows were highlighted. He couldn't use the wave beam; they would enter a target, then expand, and if a beam hit the car, it might kill the occupants.

Odd looked at the third weapon on his arm. It was a large sheet of ice. Then he remembered. Jeremy said it was a ice beam. It could freeze almost anything it came into contact with. He had a plan.

Odd pointed his arm towards Atlas and fired several laser arrows. The arrows hit the hand of the monster as the arm wobbled from the impact of the weapons. The car shook loose and landed on Atlas. The monster fell to the ground as the car landed on top of him.

The doors to the car opened and its occupants crawled out in fear and ran for their lives.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Odd shouted. _"I swear. You save people's life and they don't even bother to thank you for it."_ he remarked.

Suddenly, the car was tossed up into the air and landed on top of an orange taxi cab nearby.

Atlas stood up and grabbed a nearby street lamp. He uprooted it out of the ground and held it like a baseball bat.

Odd turned to fire a second volley of Laser arrows. He aimed for Atlas's head and pulled his hand back. But instead of firing a shot off, he heard a familiar clicking noise... which meant his arm was out of arrows.

"Uh oh…" Odd said in panic.

Atlas swung the street lamp, striking Odd in the chest. Odd flew several feet and landed on the ground next to a bus. The pedestrians of the bus began to flood out of it as soon as they noticed the battle was heading their way.

Sissi poked her head out of the hole in the casino wall. She watched Odd laying there on the ground as Atlas tossed a car out of the way to reach him.

Soon George and Jessica hopped out of the hole as they watched what exactly was going on.

"We need to help Odd!" Sissi shouted over the roar of the crowd.

"OK… you two stay here." George said.

Before he ran towards the battle, he felt a hand grab his arm. George turned to see Jessica holding it.

"Agent Knight... George... Be careful," Jessica said.

George nodded and ran towards Odd and Atlas, loading a fresh magazine into his gun on his way.

As she watched George go away, Sissi felt helpless and useless. In fact, that feeling would not leave her the whole time the battle was going on. She wanted to help so badly, but so far she only got herself into trouble. Then, she looked towards the bus. In front of it she noticed a black Mazda with its driver side door open. The car was also still running.

Sissi then realized that George may not be enough to help Odd. She decided to take a gamble She wanted to prove her worth to her friends, to the feds, to Odd.

Sissi sprinted towards the car. The crowd screamed so loud she could barely hear Jessica shouting at her. Sissi dodged several pedestrians as she entered the car.

"Oh crap... how do you drive this thing?" Sissi asked out loud.

Odd sat up. He felt light-headed and dazed. It was a clear sign his suit was about to devirtualize. He also felt intense pain in his stomach. He had forgotten that even with the nano suit, he could still feel some pain, and a light pole to the stomach certainly hurt.

Atlas walked up to the boy.

"You know why I love this world? Because it's so easy to destroy things, and with me being the strongest in the world, there is no one who can stop me now!" Atlas shouted as he raised his foot into the air.

A ring of bullets hit Atlas's armor. The Titan turned to see George going fully automatic at the beast. Atlas laughed as he turned to face George.

In the meantime, the black Mazda swerved in and out of the parked cars as its horn blared. Sissi screamed and yipped in fear as she felt like she was on a roller coaster ride.

"OH GOD WHAT AM I THINKING!" she shouted.

Odd looked up to see the car heading towards Atlas. It was perfect. Odd hit the button on his arm, switching to the ice beam. His arm suddenly glowed orange as it turned from his normal cat arm to looking as if it had a large buildup of ice on it.

Odd pointed his icy arm towards Atlas and fired. A large ball of ice shot from his cannon and hit Atlas in the legs. The monster screamed in pain as his limbs froze solid.

Atlas looked down at his legs. He turned back to Odd in anger.

"It's not about being all big and strong... It's about being the most bad ass... And that's ME!" Odd said.

Sissi slowed down the car and placed a book that was in the passenger seat on the gas pedal. She slowed the car down enough that she leapt out of the car. The cruel and unforgiving asphalt met her as she felt her arm scrape across the road.

The black Mazda slammed into Atlas's frozen feet, which shattered like glass. The Titan slammed onto the hood of the car, flattening it like a pancake. Atlas growled as he realized just what had happened. He was in a vulnerable state as his foot was now gone.

Odd stood up slowly. His claws scrapped along the surface of the asphalt as he was rising to his feet.

Atlas looked towards the teen. His red eyes glowed brightly with anger. He tried to reach for his opponent. His large arms stretched out almost close enough, but they couldn't reach.

Odd flipped out his arm cannon and changed it from the Ice Beam to his Laser wire. The ice on his arm broke off as a familiar small tube popped out of his hand. Odd pointed the arm at Atlas. Odd fired his cannon. Several pink streams streaked through the air, peppering Atlas. The pink rounds punctured through different parts of Atlas's body as the monster roared in anger... more anger than pain.

The shots fired straight through Atlas and even hit the car next to him. The car's windshield and hood waddled away as the pink laser rods hit the vehicle.

Odd lowered his arms as he glanced at the monster standing in front of him. Its body riddled with the pink laser rods that hit it. White fluid seeped from the wounds.

Atlas was angry at first, but then he began to laugh.

"You maybe killed me... but you lose, boy."

Odd stared at the beast in confusion until he heard a familiar voice come from their left.

Atlas and Odd both turned to see Sissi running towards the scene. A small amount of blood trickled down her arm.

"Sissi! No!" Odd shouted. If the rods exploded, the car would too. And she still had time to get away.

Suddenly, the laser rods all started to come together; they tore through the monster as they executed their main function. They then began to trace and tear through Atlas's body.

Sissi stopped dead in her tracks as she realized just what was going on. She felt like a fool when she realized that her emotions had gotten the better of her. She again walked into a very dangerous situation.

Odd sprinted towards Sissi. The only thing that rushed through his mind was saving the girl. Nothing else mattered at this point.

Atlas stood on his one remaining frozen leg. The beast could only laugh at Odds futile attempts to kill him. His laughter filled the air and it seemed like it reached the heavens as he not only accepted his fate but also that he was about to crush Odd's very soul... the best thing he could crush.

The rods in the car started to rip through the car. One rod hit the fuel pump and ignited a spark. The car exploded wildly, engulfing the Titan in the explosion... deleting him from existence.

Jessica and George took cover as they covered their eyes from the explosion. George wrapped his arms around Jessica to protect her.

Odd ran up to Sissi. He turned around in time to see the explosion. He held up his hands and crossed them. A purple, dome-like shield popped up. The shield expanded to protect them both. Flames and parts of the car hit the shield.

Sissi screamed at the top of his lungs. Her fear was deafened out by the noise and flames of the explosion.

Soon, the flames subsided and Odd lowered his arms. Sissi uncovered her ears as she stepped out from behind Odd. She turned to face her hero.

"That was... Amazing!" she said.

But before Odd could say anything, the boy felt a surge of dizziness. His feet felt cold and distant as he lost his balance and fell into the arms of the girl he saved.

Sissi caught Odd and slowly laid the boy on the ground. Her emotions went from fear to impression and back to fear.

Panic filled Sissi's mind. "Odd!"

"I'm OK... just... tired. I'm not used to putting this much strain on my body." Odd said as he sat up.

George and Jessica ran over to the boy. They originally feared the worst until they saw the young teen sit up.

"You two OK?" Jessica asked.

"I don't think I can fight anymore. My virtualized form is almost out of life points and if I fight any longer, I will become vulnerable. My body is so sore and tired…" Odd groaned.

"It doesn't matter, man. You did good." George said, clearly impressed.

Sissi helped Odd up. He had trouble standing, the hard toss through the front of the Luxor casino had hurt his leg. He was even limping.

Sissi threw Odd's arm over her. She could smell the sweat coming off his body even with the virtual envelope on. Yet it was the smell of a hero..._ her_ hero, and she loved it.

Odd tried to lift himself up out of Sissi's arms. He sat on his knees as he breathed heavily. He could feel the sweat pouring from his skin underneath the Nano suit. He was sure that the clothes underneath him were soaked to the bone.

When he finally stood up, he wobbled a little until he felt a large arm wrap around his wrist. He looked up to see George attempting to stabilize him. Odd finally waved off George as he felt a little better.

"We need to find the others." Jessica said.

The stairwell door slammed open as Jeremy's foot kicked the metal door. The feel of the door on his leg was not a pleasant one; in fact he felt his knee sting with pain from the action.

Jeremy ran through the hallway of the hotel floor. Close behind him was a virtual Aelita, still clutching the System in her grasp. They looked around for a possible way out. Then, he noticed the elevator at the end of the hall. It was beeping, which meant that something was on its way up. The numbers on the elevator pinged as the elevator arrived on the very floor the two teens were on.

Jeremy looked around for a possible place to hide. He noticed the door to hotel room on the left was wide open. The original occupants must have fled when the battle started. They ran into the room. It was a large hotel suite with multiple rooms and a bar; the type of room a rich person would rent out.

As soon as the two teens jumped into the room, the elevator doors screeched and scratched as they were pried open. A large claw burst through the elevator door and a large wolf like demon head protruded out of it. Xervix stepped into the hallway. His body was so large that he barely fit inside.

Xervix growled loudly as he searched for his targets. He could smell the odor of the two kids in this hallway, a sweet smell of both fear and panic. He could also sense the raw energy coming from the System itself.

"I know you're here, children!" he bellowed. "Come out, and I promise I'll let you and your friends live!"

Xervix walked down a few steps and punched a hole in the wall. He peeked in for signs of life. He walked down further and punched another hole. He spotted no sign of the children, yet the smell from the kids was even stronger. They could not be far.

Meanwhile, Jeremy peeked his head around the corner of the doors to the suite. He could barely see the large form of Xervix. But it was enough for him to realize that the beast was definitely getting closer.

Jeremy turned to see Aelita was bent over the bar. She was breathing heavily; it was a sign that she was not only tired, but also on the verge of a panic attack.

Xervix looked through another hole in the wall when he heard it... a recurrent noise. Almost like breathing... breathing in fear. Xervix looked down the hallway. He realized exactly where the noise was coming from.

Jeremy turned and grabbed Aelita. He took her behind the bar and scooted aside the small fridge. He pushed it up against the wall next to the larger refrigerator. He tucked Aelita behind it and he nestled himself inside of it.

Xervix's head smashed through the drywall and wooden walls of the hotel room. He looked around as he sniffed the air. The scent was stronger here than anywhere. He had no doubt about it, the kids were here.

Xervix walked towards the sofa and tossed it out the window, in an attempt to scare the children out of hiding.

"Do you fear me children? You don't even know the meaning of the word fear _yet_."

Aelita curled up inside the small hole under the counter. She covered her mouth so she did not breathe as heavily. Her eyes were watering up with both fear and panic.

The room fell strangely quiet as if there was no life what so ever inside. The tension was rising.

Jeremy attempted to peak his head over the counter. For a minute he thought Xervix might have moved on. Suddenly the counter rose into the air. The nails and bolts attaching it to the floor broke to pieces as the two kids looked up to see the beast looking down at them.

"Run," Xervix said in a jokingly, mocking manner.

Aelita had enough. She jumped up and fired multiple energy orbs at Xervix. He blocked the orb with the counter, which exploded into splinters. Aelita grabbed Jeremy and ran down the hallway. She handed Jeremy the System and charged up two energy fields at once.

Xervix entered the hallway through the hole he had created. He held out his hand as a black beam fired from his hand.

Aelita turned around and fired her two energy fields. The orbs traveled down the hallway and met with the black beam. The blasts collided and exploded, shattering all the windows on that floor, one floor above and one floor below.

Aelita covered her face to hide her face from the glass. Jeremy hit the ground. He had enough bad experience with the glass and did not intend to let history repeat itself.

Xervix stood there as the glass pelted his body, unphased by the explosion.

Aelita ran up, grabbed Jeremy off the ground and ran towards the other end of the hallway.

She waved her hand over her bracelet as pink wings appeared.

"Hang on!" she shouted. Jeremy screamed in fear as he realized what Aelita meant.

Aelita jumped into the elevator shaft as she flapped her wings. Because of cramped space she was unable to fly as fast as she normally would, yet she was able to gain altitude.

Xervix knew that they were heading up to the roof. He had them now.

Chaos stood, holding her blades. She held them in her hands as she took a defensive stance.

Ulrich and Yumi both stood with their weapons drawn. They both hated this creature, who they only met once and in that one moment she almost killed them both easily.

"Who dies first?" Chaos asked.

"You do!" Ulrich said.

The boy jumped into the air and tilted sideways, bringing his foot down in a spiral kick like pattern. His foot planted into Chaos's chest. Chaos grunted from the impact as she staggered a little. She looked up and smiled as she found humor in the boy's futile attack.

Two fans slid to the left and right. Chaos tossed her arms out. The chain swords sliced around her arms and outwards, towards the fans. Her right arm blade sliced one of the fans in half; the other missed. The fan that Chaos missed came back and sailed straight towards her.

Chaos jumped into the air and back flipped. The fan sailed right in front of her face. The light from the fan was enough to temporarily blind her.

As the female Titan landed, Ulrich sliced at the monster with his swords. Chaos dodged one attack and blocked the other with her blades. She swiped at Ulrich. Ulrich jumped backwards as Yumi ran up to his back. She leapt into the air and tossed her last remaining fan at Chaos. Chaos bent her neck in a way that would break any normal creature's neck. Her neck flipped backwards. As the blade passed by, her neck propped right back up.

Ulrich sliced his swords towards Chaos's chest. Chaos sliced her sword to block the attacks. Her sword blocked one of Ulrich's blades as the other hit her in her side. White fluid seeped out if the wound as Ulrich pulled the sword out. Chaos tossed her sword out towards Ulrich. The sword struck Ulrich's, knocking the weapon out of his hand.

"Triplicate!" Ulrich shouted. He stood still as two other Ulrich's popped out of nowhere. They surrounded the Titan, each holding one sword out, just like the original.

"My turn!" Chaos shouted. She dropped her chains to the ground and began twirling around like a tornado at wicked speeds. The chains and the blades spun around at wild and dangerous speeds in all directions.

One Ulrich copy tried to rush the spinning beast, but the chains chopped it in half. Then, the spinning death whirlwind stopped in front of the other and tossed both swords at it, catching the clone off guard. The swords plunged into the copy, causing it to disappear as well.

As the chains began to fall, Chaos swung them at the real Ulrich.

Yumi saw it coming and focused her mental abilities at the hood of a nearby car. She tossed it towards the swords and hit them directly, causing them to miss the boy. Ulrich dropped to the ground in fear, even though the blades missed him. Chaos yelled in anger as she pulled the swords back.

Yumi held up her sole fan as her head continued to glow white. Her fan suddenly separated into several sharp pieces. She twirled the pieces in her hand as she held out her hands. The blades flew towards Chaos at wicked speeds.

Chaos began twirling the blades again. She held the rotating swords right in front of her as the pieces of Yumi's blades struck the cyclone, slicing and deflecting them into multiple pieces. Some of the shrapnel struck Chaos, slicing up her face as more of the white fluid poured out.

Chaos finished off the remaining pieces and dropped the blades to the ground. She slowly lifted up her finger and felt the oozing white fluid coming from one of the wounds on her face. She held her hand in front of her face and glanced at the wound. She slowly stuck out her lizard like tongue and licked the ooze off her fingers.

"Tastes so delicious... I cant wait to test yours." she said.

Yumi looked towards her boyfriend. "That's just disturbing."

Chaos slammed her blades on to the ground as she hissed loudly, like a snake.

"Crap! I don't have a weapon!" Yumi shouted when she realized Chaos destroyed all her fans.

Chaos rushed the two teens. Her feet ran fast while dragging her chains on the ground.

Ulrich jumped in front of Yumi as Chaos flung her chains one by one towards the two teens. Ulrich blocked one, then turned to block the other. He turned to receive a head butt from Chaos. The blunt hit to the head caused Ulrich to stumble a little. Chaos tossed her chain out, far enough to wrap the chain around Ulrich's back. Chaos grabbed the other end of the sword and began to pull Ulrich towards her. Ulrich tried to wiggle free of the attack as Chaos held her second blade in the other hand.

Yumi glanced around, desperately looking for anything to use to help save her boyfriend. Then she spotted something.

Ulrich managed to get one of his arms free and wrap around the chain as he struggled to get free. Yet the more he struggled, the closer he was getting to Chaos. Chaos began swiping her blade left to right as she attempted to swipe at Ulrich. Eventually, the blade scratched Ulrich's abs. The nano machines sizzled and sparked as the blade scrapped his waist.

Suddenly, a sharp katana sword cut through the chain holding Ulrich. The chain dropped to the ground, cutting off Chaos's arm clean. Chaos stumbled a little while Ulrich fell flat on his back. Ulrich looked up to see Yumi, who was holding his other sword that Chaos had tossed aside. She held the sword downwards as she glared at Chaos.

"You think you can still take me?" Chaos asked.

"We don't think." Yumi said as she held the sword outwards with one hand.

"We know!" Ulrich finished as he tossed his sword towards Chaos. The sword slammed into Chaos's shoulder.

Yumi ran to Chaos's side and sliced at her. Chaos blocked the attack from Yumi with her only sword left. Yumi swiped again. This time the sword hit its target, slicing straight down Chaos's torso.

Ulrich grabbed his sword out of Chaos's shoulder and stabbed it again into her chest. Chaos screamed in pain as Yumi plunged the other into the opposite side of Chaos's chest. Both Yumi and Ulrich stepped back as Chaos began to vaporize.

"If only you could join in on this wonderful sensation." Chaos said as she held her hands out.

Yumi and Ulrich both looked towards each other. They nodded in agreement. They both ran up and drop kicked the two swords. Causing them to fly out of Chaos's body.

Chaos's body began to crack like ice. White lines ran through her body as parts of her body began to chip and fall off. Soon Chaos's body vaporized into a cloud of smoke, leaving the metal chains and swords from her weapons.

"Thank God she's gone." Yumi said as she grabbed one of Ulrich's swords.

"That was tough. Why did she want to deal with us so much?" Ulrich wondered.

"Because what destroys love and a relationship?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich thought for a minute... then it finally hit him. "Chaos."

Yumi nodded as she wiped the white ooze off the sword.

"Well guess that means our love is stronger than that, huh?" Ulrich asked.

But before he could say anything else, a loud noise came from the top of the Caesars Palace casino… followed by what looked like a person falling off the roof.

Yumi's face froze in shock. "Is that-"

"OH GOD! IT'S AELITA!" Ulrich shouted.


	40. Chapter 40

The door to the roof of Caesars kicked open as Jeremy used his legs to once again force his way through. Behind him was Aelita, whose wings were folded behind her back. The System was still clutched in the grasp of her fingers.

Jeremy pulled out his cell phone and hit the call on hold button.

"Puck! We're in an open area. Can you launch the portal yet?" he asked as he attempted to catch his breath.

"I can't. You need to be near a source of electricity and if I place the portal on the roof, it could cause the roof to collapse from the force of the portal."

"We need to be on the street?" Aelita asked with disappointment in her voice.

"I'm sorry... it's something I thought you were aware of." Puck said.

Jeremy grimaced in anger. How they were going to make it? It was impossible to go back now, with Xervix chasing them.

Suddenly, the door to the roof opened slowly, revealing a very aggravated Xervix. Jeremy and Aelita turned to see the beast starring right at them. But no sooner did they spot the monster than another large object landed next to him.

Aether stood up next to his master. The bird man looked like a child compared to Xervix.

"So, children... what is your next move?" Xervix growled.

Jeremy backed up slowly with his arm around Aelita in a protective manner. They slowly backed up to one of the air conditioner vents for the casino. Jeremy's whole body shook. He realized he failed to protect Aelita. He swore he would protect her... but now they were trapped between three large threats. Jeremy's shaky hands reached for the small pistol Travis gave him. He pulled it out and pointed the pistol right at the Titans. However, he only had one magazine. He wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

Aether laughed loudly. Jeremy's manner amused the creature. Here was a inferior being standing up to a god like him… It was almost insulting to him.

"Why run? Surrender yourselves to me and you and your friends will become the rulers of the new world." Xervix growled as he clenched his claw like fists. "Imagine an Eden... for you and your friends. You will all have everything you ever wanted. Freedom, love and tranquility. No one will hunt you down again."

Jeremy slowly turned towards Aelita. He could tell from the look on her face that she was also afraid. Her hand was held out, ready to fire a energy orb at the Titans.

Aelita glanced at Jeremy. Xervix's offer sounded very tempting, but it was obvious they were not going to fall for it. Why should they trust the cruel beast?

"I love Aelita... and I would do anything for her. But I would never sacrifice the world for her, and I know it's not what she wants!" Jeremy shouted.

"Such heroic nonsense." Xervix muttered.

"ENOUGH TALK! CREATURES LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! PERIOD!" Aether shouted as he pulled out his blades.

"AETHER! NO!" Xervix yelled, but it was too late.

Aether jumped into the air, his daggers pointed straight towards the two teens. _How dare Xervix attempts to negotiate with these insects, _thought Aether_. _He didn't need the System to control the Earth. He would rule this planet with sheer intellect and power. He would dominate this planet and surpass Xervix in every way.

Aelita pushed Jeremy out of the way. She fired two orbs at Aether, but the angle she tossed them at was off due to her shaky hands. The orbs flew right past it. The attack only aggravated the bird.

Xervix reached out and grabbed Aether's foot. But before he could pull the bird man back, Aether's beak opened. A laser shot out of Aether's mouth, striking Aelita.

The force of the laser caused Aelita to fly backwards. The damage from the beam completely destroyed her virtualized nano suit, which shattered like glass as the pieces of it crumbled like ash, revealing Aelita's normal, human form.

Aelita felt a cold breeze hit her. She had not felt it ever since she placed the nano suit on. As she flew through the air, she felt the crystal orb bounce around. The System was jogged loose.

Jeremy watched his girlfriend fly backwards... and over the roof of the casino.

He turned and reached out for Aelita. His only desperate thought was to save the girl he loved. He watched as Aelita began to fall like a rock to the ground. As he was running towards the side of the roof, Aelita's body disappeared over the ledge. Jeremy screamed loudly as he watched his girlfriend free fall towards the unforgiving concrete street below.

Aelita's mind went blank. She couldn't hear anything except Jeremy's scream and the whistle of the wind. Her eyes became watery. She didn't want it to end this way; to come this far and have the battle end as quickly as it started. Failure was not an option; she was so sure they would win and go home, so she could hang out with her friends and be with Jeremy. She wished she could show how much she loved him...

Then, her ear caught a faint whisper in the air whistling around her. It sounded different, as if someone was speaking to her. It appeared even louder and closer. Then she heard it loudly as if it was a normal voice.

"_Aelita… Time has come…"_

Aelita listened to the voice as windows rushed past her. The voice sounded very familiar. Then it hit her.

"Daddy?" she shouted.

"_Use the System and progress from the Avatar. Become the next step in your journey. Become the Savior..."_ The voice said.

"Savior?"

"_Yes. When the Avatar uses the System, they are no longer referred to as the Avatar… But the Savior of the world they will create."_

Aelita didn't understand that, but she would do anything to see Jeremy again. She wanted more then anything to feel his embrace, and his love. She reached out for the System. Her fingers touched the smooth, warm sides of the crystal. After a second try, her fingers pulled the System closer to her.

"_Fulfill your destiny... And always remember two things. I am always with you and I will always love you."_ The voice said.

Aelita felt the System in her arms. The sensation was similar to the one she experienced in Area 51… as if she knew how to work it.

"I am Aelita Schaffer. I am the AVATAR!"

Suddenly, Aelita stopped falling in midair. Her body came to a complete stop. She looked around to see herself just a few feet away from the pavement. The realization of the height gave her goosebumps.

Then, a warm sensation filled her chest. It looked like the System turned into liquid and was being absorbed by her body. No sooner did the System enter Aelita's body than she a feeling of overwhelming power filled her… the exactly same sensation she had when she saved Jeremy from getting hit by the truck or the time at the soccer field.

A bolt of lighting came down from the clear, sunny sky. It seemed like it came from space.

Aelita felt her body get struck by it. Her whole body was surged with energy. She had never felt such a sensation before.

As the lightning subsided, Aelita noticed something growing on her arms and chest... It almost resembled the System. It was a smooth coat of glass that covered her arms and chest, forming a kind of transparent armor.

A tearing sensation appeared on her back shoulder blades. She heard her shirt rip in the areas she felt the sensation at. She turned to see what looked like white feathery objects. Soon the objects grew until she realized what they were.

A pair of White wings. Not like her Lyoko form... But real, angelic wings.

Aelita felt the wind pass through them. She tried moving them, just like the wings of her Lyoko form. They moved just the same...

Unexplainable instinct told Aelita what she had to do.

Back on the casino's roof, Jeremy's eyes filled with tears. He just witnessed his girlfriend die and he couldn't do anything to prevent it. He felt helpless and lost. It was so unfair to him… he felt he should have died instead of Aelita.

Furious Xervix smashed Aether to the ground. He slammed his claw like fist into its mouth.

"YOU WHORTHLESS IDIOT! WE FAILED BECAUSE OF YOU!" Xervix yelled louder then he ever had.

"But master... We don't need these children. We can rule this planet on our own." Aether shouted.

Before Xervix could shout back, he paused. The monster rose his head into the air. Suddenly, he felt that something in the air was different. Even Aether could feel it.

Then a lightning bolt fell from the sky, almost exactly where Aelita fell. Jeremy looked towards the lighting bolt. A voice inside of him was telling him something was off.

"No! NO!" shocked Xervix shouted.

Jeremy heard a flapping noise. It sounded like the wings of a large, bird-like creature. But the noise was coming from the right... as if from the Sun. Squinting in the sunlight, Jeremy looked towards the direction of the sound. And then he saw it.

Aelita's silhouette appeared in front of the sun. She flew high in the air as she approached the Caesars Palace. Her wings flapped loudly and her new glass outfit glistened like a rainbow in the sunlight.

She dove down towards the roof of the casino. She landed on the roof and wrapped her arms around Jeremy.

"Ae... Aelita?" Jeremy stammered in both confusion and happiness. He couldn't believe it! Aelita was alive?

Noticing Aelita's sudden comeback, Aether fired a orange laser beam towards the two teens. However, Aelita saw that coming; she turned around and held her left hand out. Aether's laser hit the smooth crystal surrounding her arm. The reflected beam ricocheted and hit Aether back. It burned Aether's wing, peeling away some of the material his wing was made of. Aether screamed loudly and fell to the ground in pain.

"Hang on," Aelita said. With Jeremy clutched to her arms, she ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped. Her wings spread widely as she rose into the air effortlessly, considering her extra passenger's weight.

Xervix tossed Aether to the ground and opened up his own bat like, black wings. He jumped off the roof as he flew towards the escaping teens.

Aether jumped off the roof himself... but his wings were badly damaged. Instead of gaining altitude, he slowly fell to meet the ground.

Travis and William ran towards Caesars. They ran past several people as they tried to get towards the action at the casino. People around were running for their lives in multiple directions. William and Travis ran towards the entrance towards the casino when they heard the lightning bolt strike.

Travis stopped dead in his tracks and looked around. William turned around and walked out into the street along with Travis. He looked around on the streets to see if he could find the source of the noise. It was when he saw two teens running towards them. One was wearing a red and violet suit while the other was wearing a similar suit, but yellow and black.

William tapped Travis on the shoulder, gathering his attention. They both looked towards the Ulrich and Yumi, who ran to meet them. They swirled in and out of the abandoned cars and the pedestrians who were fleeing the scene.

"You guys OK?" Travis shouted at them as they approached him.

"Aelita fell off the building!" Yumi said as they continued running past Travis. But before the three could enter the casino, they heard a louder noise outside.

All four ran out in time to see what looked like a pink angel flying downwards towards the ground. It was Aelita, who appeared to be holding a person in her grasp. It wasn't till Aelita pulled up that the second person came into view. It was Jeremy.

"Is that?" Travis asked.

"Aelita?" Ulrich and Yumi both said at the same time.

As Aelita rose into the air again, the second object came into view. Xervix roared loudly as it chased after her and Jeremy.

Aelita soared near one of the other buildings across from Caesars. Her shadow even grew larger as she pulled away from the building.

Xervix tried to pull up, but one of his wings clipped the windows of the building, scratching the glass of the front elevation.

The special agent and the two teens stood dumb struck, observing as the two flying objects disappeared.

"Aelita wasn't in her Lyoko outfit... She was in her regular clothes." Ulrich noticed.

Travis's radio fizzled. A voice cried out. It belonged to George.

"Travis! Did you see that?"

"Yeah... Yeah we saw it." Travis said as he looked towards Ulrich and Yumi.

"Where are you guys?" Jessica asked over the radio as she was leading Odd, Sissi and George away from Luxor casino. At the moment they were passing by the Statue of Liberty at _New York-New York_ Hotel.

"We're at Caesars Palace. We're in position. William took care of Tartarus." Travis said.

"And we took care of Chaos as well." Yumi said.

"Good riddance." Ulrich added.

"OK... Odd and Sissi took down Atlas. All that's left are Xervix and Aether." George said as he stopped to check the last magazine he had for his rifle.

At Caesars, the three teens and agent looked up to see a giant bird land on the ground. The bird man tried to take off, but his wings were too damaged to let him fly.

Aether landed as his wings folded into his arms. He slammed his fists on a nearby car in anger. He was grounded. That tiny, pathetic human grounded him for the rest of the time here. And what's more, he killed her... He saw her fly off the roof of the hotel. She should be splattered on the sidewalk like the ant she was. _How come she's still alive?, _he wondered.

Suddenly, Aether heard a pair of swords being drawn, followed by a clicking noise. Aether recognized the swords being drawn, but not the other sound. He turned around fast to see Yumi holding one sword, while Ulrich held another. To their left was William. He merely balanced his sword over his shoulder and smiled at the bird man. To William's right stood Special Agent Dalesman. He held no weapon in his hands, as his M4 was destroyed by Xervix earlier.

Aether stood there, staring at the four opponents that now faced him. Only three of them posed a real threat while the grown man seemed like he was there watch and observe. He could surely defeat three little worms like these.

"Oh. So I get to vent some rage after all?" Aether said, reaching for his daggers.

As he placed his hands behind his back, he heard the same clicking noise again. But this time it was louder than normally.

The barrels of two rifles taped Aether on the back. The Titan turned to see Jessica and George, pointing their guns right at him. But they weren't the only ones. Odd also had both his hands pointed at Aether. He may have ran out of laser arrows, but had a wave beam or ice arrows in store.

"Honestly... I wouldn't." George said.

Aether gasped a little, then let out a depressing moan as he realized he was not in a position to fight back. He slowly dropped his arms to his side and admitted defeat.

"You dirty little land creatures... How dare you threaten me... The god of the air! Master of your species!" Aether began to preach.

Sissi heard enough. She looked around and found a small lead pipe.

"I will rule this world! I will rule the Skies! The Sea! The Earth. For I am Aether...Your master and-" Aether said until he was cut off by a sharp pain against his head.

Aether collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Standing behind him was Sissi with the very lead pipe she had picked up. Aether laid on the ground, out cold.

"And that's for threatening me on top of the school, you freaky ego maniacal bird!" Sissi said with satisfaction.

The rest of the gang stood dumbfounded after what they had just seen. They had no idea that Sissi could ever be capable of such a feat.

"What? He pissed me off" Sissi protested.

"Nice arm..." Yumi complimented.

Aelita soared through the air with her passenger in tow. His legs dangled around; he had an irresistible feeling that Aelita would drop him any minute.

Aelita stay focused on not only holding on to Jeremy, but flying away from Xervix. Yet even with her speed at flight, she was unable to lose the Titan. Even with all the dodging and rolling she had been doing, she had a firm grasp on Jeremy. Carrying him was no problem.

Aelita flew towards the Stratosphere hotel and casino. She flew towards the building with incredible speeds. Close behind her was Xervix. His wings could barely keep up with the speed that Aelita was flying at.

Aelita flew up in an angle towards the high, needle-like observation tower. Xervix was flying close behind her, his arm glowing black with energy. He held it out and fired a round towards the escaping teens, trying to stop them.

Aelita heard the laser fire from Xervix's arm. She flipped upwards into the air, dodging the laser blast entirely. She heard Jeremy moan a little as if he was on a roller coaster.

Aelita shot straight into the air, twisting rapidly as she flew.

"Jeremy? Do you trust me?" Aelita asked as the wind brushed her hair around.

"Yeah. Wait...WAIT!" Jeremy shouted. When Aelita tossed him up in the air.

Aelita U-turned in midair. She turned to face Xervix and flew right down towards the Titan. But before Xervix could grab Aelita, the pink angel flew right past him. She flew down and quickly grabbed Jeremy.

She flew close to the deck of the ground. She rose into the air with her newly acquired passenger. Aelita flew right up Caesars Palace and prepared to land.

"How was that?" Aelita asked.

"I almost heaved!" Jeremy said, covering his mouth.

As Aelita prepared to land, a black laser hit her in the back, causing her to fall on her face and drop Jeremy. Jeremy fell a few feet away from Aelita. He landed on the surface of the concrete His glasses fell off his face a few feet away.

Jeremy looked up to see the others were a few yards away. Yumi, Travis and Sissi were already on their way over. Jeremy also spotted Aether in the area. He seemed to have been captured. He realized it was the perfect location to launch the trap.

Jeremy hit the number on his phone.

"Puck! We're ready." Jeremy said.

Meanwhile, on Lyoko, Puck heard Jeremy's report. He triangulated the exact location Jeremy was calling from via the cell phone network he had hacked into. He stood up and placed his palm on the holo panel. The panel read: _Delta. Code: Avatar_.

In Vegas, Aelita slowly stood up. Even after the hit she had taken, she still felt pretty good. It must have been from the System that was making her feel so alive. Even after she took the laser blast to the back, she still felt relatively normal.

Aelita turned to see her friends running towards her. She also spotted Jeremy a few feet away.

"Jeremy, are you OK?" Aelita asked.

Before Jeremy could finish, he saw Xervix slowly lumbering towards her.

"LOOK OUT!" he shouted.

Aelita turned to see a large metal scythe come down near her. Aelita twisted to her left, narrowly avoiding the blade from Xervix's scythe. Xervix swiped the blade again. This time Aelita blocked the blade with the crystal covering on her arm. The blade clashed against the hard diamond like covering. Sparks and pieces of metal flew from Xervix's scythe as it slid against the crystal armor Aelita was wearing.

Xervix lifted the staff of the shattered weapon. He was amazed how easily it broke. Suddenly, a fist punched Xervix square in the chest. Xervix looked down to see an angry Aelita, who had just delivered the surprisingly painful punch.

Aelita tried tossing another punch, only to have her fist caught by Xervix. He lifted her into the air and kicked the girl hard. Aelita flew backwards and hit a parked car. The impact shook the car hard as Aelita fell to the ground.

Xervix approached Aelita triumphantly. Weeks of planning, weeks of hard work was finally about to pay off.

"At last," Xervix murmured.

But before he could get any closer, a white mist approached from his left. He turned in time to see William appear out of the smoke. William wielded his sword at Xervix. But before his blade made contact, Xervix grabbed the sword in midair, then shook the sword loose from William and tossed him backwards.

As William flew several feet away, Yumi and Ulrich rushed from different sides. They both swung their swords at Xervix at the same time. Using William's sword, Xervix blocked both teens' attacks. Xervix pushed off with the blade and fired a black laser from his arm. The laser hit the ground where both kids were standing, forcing them to tumble over backwards.

Xervix then turned his attention to Aelita. She barely stood up on her own two feet when she noticed Xervix walking towards her.

Then, Odd jumped right in between both of them.

"If you want Aelita..you gotta go throu-" Odd said until a massive back hand from Xervix sent the cat boy flying as well.

Aelita stood up in time for Xervix's hand to grasp her by the neck. Xervix lifted the fragile girl into the air. He continued to tighten his grip as he finally had her within his grasp.

"I WIN!" Xervix growled.

Suddenly, at the other end of the street electricity poured from every source around it: telephone poles, transformers, cars, everything. As the electricity sizzled through the area, it gathered at a central point. The point began to expand widely as it opened a white and blue vortex. The vortex grew rapidly until it was the size of a small house.

"What is this?" Xervix sneered.

"This is our victory! We're sending you home!" Jeremy shouted as he pulled the pistol from his pocket. He fired one shot. The gun's kickback hurt the blond teen's wrist, but he didn't care. He fired a second shot which hit Xervix in the arm, making him release Aelita.

Xervix growled as he turned to face the teen.

Jeremy fired off shot after shot. He began firing in rapid succession, each bullet striking Xervix in different areas. Jeremy was trying to push Xervix closer to the portal.

The fads watched Aether suddenly jump up and run towards the portal. George and Jessica opened fire. But before any of the bullets could reach him, Aether jumped inside the portal and disappeared. No sooner did Aether jump through the portal than he arrived at the desert region on Lyoko.

Jeremy continued firing. Xervix was getting closer and closer to the portal. Jeremy went to fire another shot, but the gun didn't fire. Instead it clicked… the magazine was empty.

Jeremy looked up to see Xervix staring right at him.

Xervix rushed Jeremy as the nerdy teen tried to flee. But Xervix caught him by his head and lifted him up into the air. Jeremy cried out in pain as he kicked and screamed loudly.

Aelita looked up and saw what was transpiring. She got to her feet and ran towards Xervix in Jeremy.

"Time to die!" Xervix hissed as a orange curved blade popped out of his hand.

It was just like the nightmare Aelita had weeks ago. She ran faster as she realized she had to save Jeremy. She couldn't let this dream come true!

Aelita ran up to Xervix; her hands glowed white. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she held out her hand. Suddenly, a white beam of energy fired from her palm, striking Xervix square in the chest.

Xervix screamed at the top of its lungs as it released Jeremy. The laser continued to strike him, burning a large hole in his chest.

Everyone looked in shock at what was transpiring. The laser pushed Xervix almost clear back to the portal until the beam subsided.

Aelita looked towards the injured Xervix. He was not moving, he remained perfectly still, as if he was dead.

Jeremy stood up next to Aelita as the rest of the gang gathered around them.

Suddenly, Xervix moved his arms as he attempted to crawl towards the children. His face was fractured as white fluid flowed out. The hole in his chest already leaked white fluid. He was beaten. Xervix moved one arm first, then the other as he slowly tried to reach the gang.

"This... Is… Not... over. I shall... RETURN!" Xervix muttered as he approached the gang.

Aelita walked in front of the group with Jeremy right beside her. She looked towards the others and back at Xervix.

"And we will be waiting," Aelita said.

She held out both of her palms and fired a second white beam. The beam shot Xervix straight into the portal.

Xervix screamed NO on the top of his lungs as he disappeared inside the vortex. Half way around the world in Lyoko he reappeared, as a broken, defeated Titan.

As the portal closed and dissipated, Jeremy pulled out his cell phone.

"Puck? Is it over?"

"I got both Aether and Xervix.. It's over." Puck confirmed.

Aelita turned to face the others as she began to calm down. Her System powers slowly faded in small bursts of light, leaving an extremely tired and worn out Aelita. She tried to walk towards Jeremy, but her legs gave out from under her, causing her to she hit the ground, two arms reached out and caught her by the chest. She felt her body rotate around to glance up at the bruised, and battered face of Jeremy Belpois. The wind rustled the blond hair across his forehead.

Jeremy glanced at Aelita. Her eyes were glossy and watery, a clear sign she was both exhausted and in pain.

"You OK?" Aelita asked weakly.

"I'm good. Are _you_ okay?" Jeremy asked back with signs of concern in both his face and voice.

Aelita could only nod. She barely had the strength to speak.

"I told you everything would turn out all right." Jeremy said with a smile.

Jeremy looked up to see their friends slowly begin to emerge from the chaos of the battle. He could see the looks on most of them. They looked as if they had been through hell and back... And back into hell.

Travis walked up next to them. He squatted down and glanced at them. His face was scrapped on the left side and the rest of his face was covered in ash and sweat.

"Is it over?" Travis asked.

Jeremy glanced at Aelita who was squinting from the brightness of the sun above them.

"For now," Jeremy said as he pulled Aelita closer to him.

He slowly stood up while he held Aelita close to him. She almost fought a whole war and Jeremy knew she wasn't able to move under her own strength.

Odd and Sissi slowly walked up. Odd had been devirtualized from the hit by Xervix. The boy was limping from the hit. Sissi was walking right beside him, making sure her friend would be OK.

"Hey..." Odd said as he was still trying to regain his breath. "You two OK?"

"We're fine… thank god." Jeremy said. "How about you?"

"Thanks to Sissi, I managed to take down Atlas." Odd said.

"Wait what? I didn't do much! All I did was help Odd and..." Sissi stammered.

"Don't kid yourself. You saved my bacon." Odd said as he tried to balance himself up enough to stand.

Sissi's face lightened up. "You mean it?"

"Every word."

Sissi suddenly lunged forward towards Odd and wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed tightly, paying no attention to the painful, yet reddened face Odd had.

William, Ulrich and Yumi walked up next. All three walked side by side up to their friends.

Yumi handed Ulrich his sword back. Ulrich took the sword and sheathed it.

"Wow, you really gave us a scare, Aelita." Ulrich said as he looked down towards the worn out teen.

"Sorry... I-" Aelita tried to say but was too worn out to finish the sentence.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Yumi said, rubbing Aelita's hair.

"Hey, William!" Ulrich called out to him.

William looked towards Ulrich. He was a little worried about what he had to say. He was worried Ulrich might scold him or berate him for something.

To his positive surprise, Ulrich held out his hand. In response, William wrapped his arm around Ulrich's and shook his hand.

"Thanks, Will. Good job," Ulrich said.

"Don't call me that... I hate that name."

Yumi walked up and slapped William gently on the shoulder.

"Why? Would you prefer Willy?" she asked jokingly.

George and Jessica walked up to the group as well. George had the rifle slung over his shoulder while Jessica carried hers with one hand.

"You know, you kids... did pretty well…" Jessica said, clearly impressed.

The gang all looked towards Jessica as the words circled in their heads. It was the first time ever that anyone praised them in their Lyoko battles.

"For a bunch of kids." Jessica added, smiling.

"Wait! What are we gonna do about all this? The world knows we exist now. And we can't launch a return to the past." Ulrich asked.

"Why would you?" George asked.

"So no one learns about the computer or Aelita." Jeremy explained.

"Well... they don't know the location of the computer. Besides, if some one did try to go after you…" George explained as he looked around. "After saving one of the largest cities in the United States, I would say you also have the backing of the United States government for this."

"How can you be sure?" Yumi asked.

As Odd glanced towards his left, he saw people starting to gather around the group. Some were civilians, while others were members of the LVPD that assisted them during the police blockade. They had all witnessed exactly what had happened during the battle. They saw the bravery of these kids and the will power they had to save the city and the people in it, and admiration could be seen on their faces.

Jeremy looked around. He still held Aelita in his hands. He was irrationally worried that some one in this crowd might try to capture Aelita or attack them.

Ulrich placed his arm around Yumi as they too were also concerned about what might happen. They were hesitant what these people would do.

One person in the crowd smiled and began clapping his hands. At first he was the only one. But soon that one person turned to two, and then four, then eight. Pretty soon everyone was clapping and whistling at their new heroes.

Odd couldn't believe it... People were clapping... People were congratulating them.

"Are they really?" Jeremy asked. For the longest time he thought their group would be met with fear and distrust, and that they might even be hunted down for all they had done.

"Well, I'm pretty sure about what I said." George said, smiling.

"Besides, you kids are part of a FBI and CIA investigation... I don't think we're gonna leave you kids in this world alone... Your fights now are fight, but in the meantime...You all earned this." Travis said as he stood up and started clapping himself.

George and Jessica joined in as they smiled towards the young warriors.

The kids just stood there, dumbfounded as they took in the entire scene. They never figured that in their life time they would receive such an ovation. They always thought the world would hunt them down if they ever found out... or never cared about their success. Yet now as they took in the energy from the crowd, they realized they were wrong.

Odd slowly raised his hand as the crowd roared. People cheered while others whistled and yelled words of praise and admiration towards the heroes.

"Ever wondered how a super hero feels when he saves the day?" Odd asked.

"I think it's something like this." Yumi said as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

"Man, but all I need is the girl and this would be so much better." Odd said.

"Odd…" Sissi called out to him. Odd turned only to see Sissi's lips touch his. Odd stood there for almost five seconds until Sissi pulled back.

"You're an idiot sometimes." She concluded.

Odd didn't move. He just stood there in the same position Sissi had kissed him in... Just like the first time she kissed him

"Not again!" William laughed.

Jeremy looked down towards Aelita who seemed to be fully awake. Tears streamed down her face as she realized one of her greatest fears didn't exist.

Jeremy smiled. "That's for you… beautiful."

Aelita turned towards her boyfriend and looked up towards him.

"Don be silly. It's for you as well. And so is _this_." Aelita said as she pulled Jeremy's head down by the collar. She slowly kissed Jeremy on his lips.

She felt the same warm, soft, sweet taste that she tasted the first few times they kissed. Aelita closed her eyes as she felt Jeremy's heart beat begin to escalate.

Jeremy's cheeks turned red for a few seconds then they quickly disappeared. He realized that now there was no need to hide his emotions and his feelings anymore.

"WOOOHOOO!" Yumi said as she cheered on the two geeks.

Both Aelita and Jeremy released their kiss and looked towards their friends. Even Odd had snapped out of it and was gawking towards his two good friends.

"Hey! Can I be the best man?" Ulrich joked.

"Now stop, you two... you embarrass them." Sissi said. "I get to be a bridesmaid, right?"

Jeremy and Aelita did not feel embarrassed at all. In fact, both of them chuckled at the jokes their friends made.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb... And guess Aelita's wedding dress will likely be pink. As that's all she seems to wear these days." George joked.

"Pink is the new white after all!" Aelita joked back, chuckling.

As the crowd continued to cheer, the gang began to walk down towards the ruined police barricade.

Aelita looked up at her boyfriend… Her best friend... Her Jeremy.

"I love you." She said as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"I love you too Aelita... More than you know," he whispered back.


	41. Chapter 41

Epilogue

___J. Edgar Hoover Building. Washington D.C._

The large conference room of the FBI headquarters was filled with multiple members of the bureau's head agents, directors and deputy directors. The last time the room was this full was on September 12th 2001, the day after the infamous world-changing events.

Everyone was absorbed in a heated discussion. The reason of their meeting appeared as hard to believe and controversial, despite concrete proof from numerous sources. And the people involved directly in Las Vegas incident did not arrive to the meeting yet.

Then, the door opened slowly and Travis and George stepped shyly inside the room. They both had their usual FBI badges on them and their usual fancy dress business suits. On their faces, however, they still bore a few unhealed scars from the events a few days ago.

The room suddenly fell silent as everyone gathered looked at the two agents.

"Special Agent Dalesman and Knight, sir." George introduced them, addressing the director of the FBI, Robert Muller, who sat right in front of him.

The director looked up and motioned for the two agents to be seated on the opposite side of the table. He then looked back down at the dossier concerning the Las Vegas incident.  
"Gentlemen... ___This _is what you found?" Muller asked, pointing at the dossier. "A hidden terrorist organization, an inter-dimensional artifact, Area 51, an A.I. obsessed with world domination and a group of teenage superheroes?"

Travis swallowed deeply and looked towards George. The director's tone didn't sound good at all.

"I know it seems like something out of Hollywood movie or a cartoon sir, but you must understand. Had it not been for those kids, we would have been in much worse situation," George said.

"Well, we can't argue with the results... But CIA has spoken to us. They are concerned with these kids." Muller said.

"The French government wants to lock them up and take possession of the computer." One of the officials across the table explained.

"Sir, with all due respect. Doing that would just make matters worse." George said.

"They're children, for Christ sakes!" the man retorted. "Why should we consider your recommendation to work with them to unravel Mal-Tech? Kids their age cannot be trusted."

"You're wrong." Travis said, standing up. "These kids have protected us for ___three _years. No one asked them to do it. They just took a stand and fought for us. And to throw them away for something as trivial as your pride and beliefs is the biggest mistake you or anyone in this agency or the Pentagon could ever do."  
Travis walked over and placed his palms on the table next to the men. "We are dealing with something here that can either destroy us or save us. The System turned a fourteen-year-old girl into a super being. Imagine what it could do in the hands of the wrong people..."

"What of this A.I... This Xervix? Which is by the way an interesting name." asked another man from across the table.

"The A.I and the last remaining Titan, Aether, were sent back to the supercomputer. Another A.I. which is friendly, named Delta or code named Mister Puck, locked Xervix to a specific region, and only Aelita Schaffer or Jeremy Belpois can release it. As for Aether, he is still on the loose inside the computer." George said.

"Frankly sir," Travis butted in, "I believe our best defense against Xervix until a way to destroy it is found is for those kids to continue keeping it locked up. Because if it gets out, it will undoubtedly continue on the course we witnessed in Vegas."

"Special Agent Dalesman is right." Director Muller said. "The President has also spoken. He believes that to prevent a worse issue than Las Vegas we must work side by side with these heroes. I agree with him."

Travis and George looked up towards the director in joy. They simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

"Therefore, the FBI and CIA will provide the children with state of the art equipment, resources and some of our best agents to help not only contain the A.I. known as Xervix, but find its creators. British MI6 and MI5 will also help with the investigation... as well as Russian FSB."

George rose his eyebrows in surprise. "Sir, why the foreign help?"

Muller drank from a glass of water.

"This is now a United Nations matter. Since this involves a global scale, it's the President's request that we work with the UN."

"And who will be the agents, sir?" Travis asked.

"Representing the CIA is Officer Hillsabeck and representing the FBI will be you two."

Travis looked up towards the FBI director.

"It would be completely unwise of the agency to remove the ___experts _off this matter. As for the System..." Muller paused as he stood up and walked over towards the two agents. "It is to remain in Amines under close watch, as the crystal recovered from Area 51 has merged with the young Schaffer girl's body. I would like to meet her sometime... Is that understood?"

Both Travis and George nodded in agreement.

-  
The lobby door swung open as Travis and George walked outside of the building to enjoy a bright sunny day outside. They both felt relieved that the debriefing was finally over. Taking the situation into account, they were in a much better position than a few months ago, when on a similar meeting Director Muller let them work on the Schaeffers case. Back then they had barely any proof to back themselves up and now the whole world witnessed that they were right. The Schaeffers case was more than met the eye. Still, they felt overwhelmed by the presence of high-ranked officials and the information they heard. Especially the standpoint of French government bothered them. Were they really going to treat the kids like criminals?

"It looks like I'm stuck with you two again?" a voice asked from behind them.

Travis and George turned to see the familiar face of a female CIA agent.

"I know. Heartbreaking, isn't it?" Travis remarked.

"Personally… I don't mind," George admitted, rising the corners of his mouth in a shy smile.

"You talked to those kids yet?" he changed subject.

"No. As far as I know, their plane just landed in Amines," Jessica explained, glancing at her watch. "But… they're all over the news already. The world is calling them ___heroes _and ___angels_, while the French government and some U.S. Senators are calling them ___a high threat to security_. What the hell?"

"We know. We don't like that, either," George said.

"Thank God they chose not to board up Aelita and send her to the same location as the Ark of the Covenant." Jessica joked. "Yet."

"It's a good thing we're still going to be working with them," Travis admitted. "We need to have some sort of control over their fate. Or those French bureaucrats won't let us hunt down Mal-Tech."

___International____Airport, Amines_

The gang walked off the boarding shoot of the plane. The agents had to stay behind in America to explain the situation to their higher ups, so a few American Army officers flew back with them instead.

Jeremy reached up for his travel bag he brought with him in the overhead compartment. As he reached up, he felt a slight pain in his arm from his fight with Xervix. But before he could reach for it again, one of the Army officers reached up and grabbed it for him. He handed Jeremy his and Aelita's bags.

The officer was a tall man with a pair of black rimmed glasses and freckles on his face. Jeremy noticed a name badge on the man's uniform with a name Dewitt on it. His rank was Captain.

"Thanks." Jeremy said.

"No... thank you." Captain Dewitt said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Ulrich and Yumi were the first to walk off the boarding shoot. They walked a few feet until they heard a loud roar of applause. They both looked up to see a large crowd of people standing at the entrance of the terminal. Some held up signs while others held up small self-made stuffed dolls. Some kids were wearing costumes which resembled the gang in their virtual forms.

"Oh my God!" Yumi said as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Now it's time to reap the rewards." Odd joked as he pulled out a pair of gold rimmed sunglasses.

"Where did you get those?" Ulrich asked.

"Las Vegas of course." Odd grinned. He threw up his arms and made a peace sign; the crowd roared louder.

Ulrich turned to see his parents standing in the crowd. His mother's eyes became watery as she looked towards him. He noticed his father was smiling at him for the first time. He looked a lot better since the last time they met.  
Ulrich walked up with Yumi in tow. "You want to meet them?"

Yumi smiled and wrapped her fingers through Ulrich's hair. She then reached down and clutched Ulrich's hand as they walked over towards Ulrich's parents.

"Hi mom… Hi Dad," he said, slightly hesitantly.

Ulrich's mother reached out and hugged her son, sobbing.

"You must be Yumi Ishiyama?" Ulrich's father said, holding out his hand to Yumi.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Yumi greeted as she bowed her head as it was the Japanese custom to do.

"I'll tell you Ulrich… A lot of the guys at work and rehab were shocked when they realized you were a superhero." Ulrich's father said.

"Huh?" Ulrich asked in confusion.

"Oh, Eric's been bragging about you to everyone. When I spoke to his case worker the other day, he asked about you and apparently he said that Eric here talked about you all the time. And how he wanted to be a better person in your life and that seeing you again was the drive for him getting out of rehab..." Ulrich's mom said.

"Wow. Thanks." Ulrich said.

"I'm really proud of you. And I know your father is looking down at you from Heaven thinking the same thing." Eric said.

"I think he would be proud of both of us... Dad." Ulrich said.

Tears formed in Eric's Eyes as he reached out and hugged Ulrich.

"Yumi!" A voice cried from across the room.

Yumi turned to see her family running up to her. Hiroki ran up and instantly hugged his sister. Yumi felt Hiroki's arms wrap around her tightly; she patted her little brother on the shoulder. She didn't mind that Hiroki was almost strangling her. She knew he missed her.  
Yumi looked up to see her parents walking towards her. After Hiroki released his bear hug, Yumi's mother walked up and hugged her as well.

"Was that your secret?" Misato asked silently.

Yumi hesitated before giving an answer. She realized she had nothing to hide anymore. "Uh...Yeah, it was."

"You are in trouble young lady." Yumi's father, Takeo said with a stern face. "You haven't introduced us to Ulrich's parents yet!" He suddenly changed his tone to a joyful one.

Yumi cracked a smile as she realized that her parents weren't really as upset with her as she worried they would be… until Takeo's smile faded away.

"You were doing a dangerous thing and you never told us?"

"What?" Yumi was shocked. Wasn't it quite obvious? "I was afraid to and... I needed to do this!" she argued.

"You don't understand! You could get hurt and..." Yumi's father said until her mother cut him off.

"I knew about it. I knew a long time ago."

Hiroki gawked in surprise at what his mother just said.  
"You mean you knew Yumi was a Teen Titan? Or like Shade Violet off my Super Tyler Games?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Takeo asked.

"I felt it was her responsibility and to be honest, it's in her nature." Misato said, wrapping a arm around her daughter. "You shouldn't be mad at her."

"I'm not mad. Just worried." Takeo tried to defend himself. "And… surprised, if not shocked!"

"Mom… Dad... I've been doing this for three years now. And now it's finally over, I think." Yumi said.

Takeo walked over and hugged his daughter. It was the first time in quite a while that he displayed such affection towards her. Yumi fought hard to keep the tears in as she wrapped her thin arms around her father's neck.  
Takeo stepped back and took a look at Yumi. "Your mother's right. The blood of the warrior runs through your veins after all. Just like your great aunt Kurumi."

Then, Yumi heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned around and saw Ulrich walking up with his parents. Ulrich wrapped his arms around Yumi's shoulder and smiled at her.

"Don't worry. I will never let anything bad happen to your daughter." Ulrich reassured Yumi's parents.

"See? I always told you this was the guy you needed to date, Yumi." Hiroki chuckled in an attempt to make Yumi blush.

"Um, Hiroki...We are dating." Yumi enlightened him.

Ulrich's father walked up towards Yumi's parents.  
"Hi, my name is Eric Stern. Sorry it took so long for us to meet and all." he said as he held out his hand.

"Its all right. I'm finally getting used to the idea of Yumi dating." Takeo said, shaking Eric's hand.

Meanwhile, William, Odd and Sissi walked together as they made their way past the group of news reporters and fans.

"Where's your family, William?" Odd asked.

"Oh, they couldn't make it. But they will be here in a few weeks." William said.

Sissi was barely able to open her mouth when she heard her name called from the crowd. She turned to see her father Jean Pierre running towards her.

"Daddy!" Sissi shouted as she ran up to him.

Principal Delmas scooped Sissi up in his arms and hugged her. He placed his hand around the back of her head as he hugged her tightly.

Suddenly, a group of girls rushed though the crowd and tackled Odd. William stood startled as he watched the group of blonde and purple haired women almost twice the size and age of Odd push him to the ground.

"Who are these girls?" William asked.

"They're his sisters." A voice said from behind William.

The boy turned around to see a short haired woman and a stout man. They were both smiling at him.

"So that makes you..."

"We're Odd's parents," the woman finished for William.

Odd's mother caught a glimpse of Aelita walking off the plane with Jeremy right next to her. It didn't take long for her to realize that Aelita was the One.  
She turned to her husband and pointed at Aelita. "She found the very object that did ___this _to me, huh?"

"Maybe you should talk to her?" Odd's father said.

"Some other time. Look at her. She looks so much like her mother."

"OH NO, STOP! YOU BROKE MY GLASSES!" Odd shouted all of a sudden at his sisters, who encircled him.

Jeremy's parents sat on the couch at the end of the terminal. Jeremy's mother nervously scanned the crowded hall of arrivals in search of her son and his girlfriend.

Ever since she first met Aelita in person, she knew that her son was head over heels for the pink haired girl. She was happy that Jeremy found his soulmate, although he did not admit his true feelings at first. However, she knew one thing for sure – Aelita was a wonderful girl. When Jeremy eventually told her and her husband the truth about their relationship and Aelita's rough childhood, she wouldn't want to hear any excuses. Aelita was always welcome in their home. In a way she treated Aelita like her own daughter.

And now she was proud of her, just like of Jeremy. In an instant her shy, sensitive, little boy became a man. She saw him in the news. It was hard to believe how much he matured.

Finally, she spotted them. They were looking around, clueless, until she stood up and waved at them. A single tear streamed down her face as she saw them run towards her.  
The two teens walked up as she hugged both of them. Aelita smiled, but Jeremy's reaction was a little different.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Jeremy said loudly as his mouth was covered by his mother's arm.

"Oh my brave little man and his brave guardian angel… When I heard what had happened, I couldn't believe it." Jeremy's mother said, hardly restraining her emotions. She never was so scared for their lives like she was over the course of past few days.

"We're OK, Mrs. Belpois. Really." Aelita said.

Jeremy's father approached them. "How long have you two been superheroes?"

"For some time. Remember how I told you Aelita was an orphan? We'll need to talk about that." Jeremy said.

Jeremy's parents looked towards Aelita.

"It all happened back before the end of the cold war…" Aelita began.

"Oh, you can explain later," Jeremy's father interrupted Aelita. "Let's go home. You deserve rest."

Jeremy's mother agreed, wiping out another tear in her eye. Her superheroes were safe at last.

___Meanwhile, on Lyoko._

Mister Puck sat in the middle of the tower. The sides of the tower served as huge displays, which showed various news reports from around the world.

On one of them a news reporter spoke from the terminal of the Amines International Airport.

"They're being labeled as real life superheroes. A group of teens from Amines France who battled a group of monsters in Las Vegas earlier this week have been identified. Fourteen-year-old Jeremy Belpois, Odd Della Robbia, Aelita Stones, Elizabeth Delmas, Ulrich Stern. Along with fifteen-year-old Yumi Ishiyama and sixteen-year-old William Dunbar they helped protect Las Vegas and kept casualties to a minimum. The group's existence has sparked high interest from the entire world today."

Another screen showed a Chinese man in Beijing who spoke about how amazed he was at the group's actions and how we the world needs more individuals like them.

The TV then flipped over to several people in Las Vegas who stood next to a pile of smashed rubble.

"If it weren't for the Chinese girl, this giant monster thing would have killed a lot of innocent people."

"It was like something out of science fiction."

Puck changed the channel. In the studio sat a blonde-haired woman.

"Republican Senator David Luttrell said that these kids could be a threat to national security."

The picture then cut to a largely obese old man who wore a pair of glasses and a large goatee on his face.  
"These kids have power and weapons that no one outside the government should have. And it would be of great benefit to the world to have them turn themselves and their equipment in."

"However, President Obama Stated his admiration and thanks to the children in a morning press conference"

On another screen the picture turned to President Obama, who was standing behind a presidential microphone stand.

"In a world where we live in fears of terrorism, financial meltdown, and global disasters. We often forget that anyone has the power to change the world. And these Children have proven that by becoming a beacon of hope for the world.

These children have shown extraordinary heroism in the events of the Las Vegas Coincidental. They stood against their powerful enemies with courage and dedication of true Hero's, in spite of their young age. They have united the world in both admiration and respect. They are an inspiration for us all upon how we should face each peril and hazard in the road ahead. I'd like to thank them for that in my own name and on behalf of the American nation."

Third window showed other reports. First from Russia, where a young girl held up a picture of William with the words "William I Love you" in Russian. Then it moved to London, where several people held up a large picture of the earth with drawings of the gang standing around it. On the bottom were the words, "Stronger After All".

The picture then cut to New York's Times Square. A pair of blond twin girls wearing a pair of glasses dressed up both like Aelita and both held a pair of plush Jeremy dolls.

In a place described as Delhi, India, a young boy talked to the news caster and said that some day, he would want to be a hero just like the purple cat boy. In Tokyo, Japan several young Japanese students who were dressed like Ulrich and Yumi were shown. Some even held up pictures of the duo drawn in anime style.

A report from Johannesburg, South Africa presented a local man, who painted the gang on the side of his semi with the words Hope in the center. The O in it resembled the Earth.

Puck smiled, seeing the reports.

"Well, Waldo. They have made it this far... I'm sure they will make it farther."

___Kadic____Academy._

A few days later, Aelita and Jeremy came back to school. They spent the weekend at Jeremy's house. It was mostly quiet, except from a couple of news reporters jumping out of nowhere. Thankfully, Jeremy and Aelita managed to avoid being questioned and enjoyed a well deserved time of rest. They left to school with a huge pain. It was going to be hard to get back on track with schoolwork and avoid excessive attention from their fellow students. On the other hand, they could not wait to see how their friends were dealing with the aftermath of the Las Vegas incident.

They walked up to the school's main gate, holding each other's hands. They caught a glimpse of Ulrich and Yumi, who were standing outside the gate.

"Hi!" Yumi greeted them. "See, Ulrich? The whole team is back again."

"Glad to see you two. How was your weekend?" Ulrich asked.

"Great! Apart from a couple of paparazzi jumping from behind a bush, it was one of the best weekends in my life," Jeremy said.

"Mine too. I mostly slept through it," Aelita admitted. "I'm fine, Yumi!" she added when she saw concern on her friend's face.

"Are you?" Yumi suddenly rose an eyebrow, giving Aelita a meaningful look.

Aelita giggled as she blushed madly. "You two go on ahead. I… gotta talk to Yumi."

Jeremy and Ulrich nodded.

"And how was your weekend?" Jeremy asked Ulrich as they walked away.

"What is it about this dream you told me about on the phone yesterday? I was scared it was another nightmare," Yumi asked.

Aelita was silent. She gazed into the distance at the boys, who walked towards the cafeteria.

"Did you tell Jeremy?" Yumi insisted.

"No. I'm not sure how he would handle it."

"Hey, you seem to have a lot of dreams that come true eventually. Maybe this would…" Yumi said with a slightly teasing tone.

Aelita's face reddened even more.

"What? All I'm saying is that if Jeremy heard you have dreams where you two get married, I'm sure he wouldn't jump at it at all." Yumi said.

Aelita slugged Yumi lightly in the shoulder.

"Thanks for help," she said, clearly offended. She walked away in the direction of the school yard.

"Hey, Aelita! Wait!" Yumi ran after her. "That's not what I meant, I- I mean he would be as confused as you are," she explained as she caught Aelita's arm.

She smiled at her stern-looking friend. "Don't take this so seriously-"

"I can't," Aelita said. "The world's fate is at stake. You don't get it… he's my ___Observer_."

Yumi's jaw dropped. Indeed, she ___did not _get it.

"Well… then maybe it'll be better if it stays our little secret. You two need some more time," she concluded.

Aelita's face relaxed; she seemed content with that conclusion. The girls then walked toward the gang's usual spot, a bench in the corner of the yard. They spotted their boyfriends with Sissi, Odd and William standing next to them.

"Milly and Tamiya are gonna pester us for a scoop. I know it," Odd said when the girls approached their friends.

"The whole school is in an uproar. So many people thanking us and saying "___we believe in you"_and all… it's pretty awesome," William said, smiling.

"And you guys feared the world would hate you," Sissi said.

"I guess this time we were wrong." Jeremy admitted. "What's up, Aelita?" he asked her when she suddenly glued herself to his arm.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"But… we were apart for like five minutes…" surprised Jeremy said. He sighed, slightly confused by this sudden display of affection.

Odd was about to make a comment when he noticed Jim. He was making a b-line straight for the kids.  
"Something was up with you kids... I knew it!" Jim said enthusiastically.

"Of course you did. You helped us out a lot." Aelita said.

"If it wasn't for you being such a good teacher and role model, we wouldn't have made it this far." Yumi said.

"I am… a role model?" Jim asked.

"Of course. You're as much our hero as we are yours." William said.

"Eh, that's… very kind of you. You kids are all right by me," Jim said as he chuckled. "If you ever need anything, just let me know."

Sissi smiled at him. "Thanks, Jim."

"Ah, you kids remind me of another group of people I used to work with. They save..." Jim said until he stopped.

"What's wrong? Rather not talk about it?" Ulrich asked.

Jim's face saddened. "Eh, no... Can't."

"What a shame. Honestly though, I would like to hear some of your stories. Have you ever considered writing an autobiography?" Aelita asked.

"Hey... hey, yeah, I should. I can even see the title now. THE MAN OF THE WORLD!" Jim said in excitement. "You know what, I'm gonna get started right away. Thanks! See you kids around!" Jim said as he turned and headed towards the building.

"I can already see it on Oprah's book club list." Odd joked.

Ulrich got up and walked over to the vending machine. Yumi followed him. Ulrich slid a couple of Euros in and bought a few bottles of water for him and Yumi. As soon as he popped the top off, he heard a familiar voice that made his spine crawl.

"You think you're a super hero now, huh?" Tanell asked as she popped around the corner.

"What's it to you?" Ulrich asked.

"I think it's pretty brave of you and all. If only you had a beautiful woman to save," Tanell said, obviously mocking Yumi, who tried to ignore the insult.

Ulrich noticed someone was missing. "Where are Nicholas and Herve?"

"Oh, I let those bags go. I got what I wanted. Complete humiliation off Sissi Delmas." Tanell said. "Room on my shoulder for a new one, if you want…" She lowered her voice in an attempt to sound more seductive.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm already taken," Ulrich said in a cold tone.

"By who? That nasty Korean girl?"

"Oh, when will you learn Geography and stop confusing Korea and Japan?" Yumi retorted.

Their talk gathered the attention of the entire yard.

"Where's your passport?" Tanell asked.

"Oh, shut up or I swear I will-" Yumi gritted her teeth, but Tanell cut her off.

"Do what? This?" Tanell suddenly leaned forward and kissed Ulrich on the lips.

As she did, Ulrich pushed her off him and whipped his lips.  
"Ugh! Get a clue! I'm not dating you!" Ulrich shouted, disgusted.

"Oh, you will…"

"Hey, one sec. Where did you learn to kiss?" Yumi asked.

"What does it matter to ___you_?" Tanell hissed though her teeth.

"Because ___this _is how you kiss."

Yumi walked over and kissed Ulrich square on the lips. She groaned a little as Ulrich's warm lips felt like fruit on hers. They both made out right in front of Tanell, who stood there, shocked at the sight in front of her.

After a few moments Yumi released her lip hold. Ulrich's eyes slowly opened. He turned to Tanell, whose face was red with anger.

"Now that's how you kiss." Yumi said.

Tanell flounced madly. "No one embarrasses me and gets away with it!"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm. She turned around only to face Miss Delmas. She did just in time for Sissi to slap her across the face. One could swear it echoed through the grounds.

"That's for Herve and Nicholas!" Sissi growled.

She then pulled her hand back again and slugged Tanell in the eye, knocking the girl to the ground.

"And that's for me and my friends!" she shouted. "Stay away from us, you creepy stalker!"

Tanell quickly stood up and ran away, sobbing. Sissi slowly turned to see a lot of the kids on the school grounds clapping and cheering.

"It's about time someone did that!" Taelia shouted.

"Now that's a scoop! Super hero on and off school grounds." excited Milly said as Tamiya took a picture of Sissi, who still panted in anger.

As the group with exception of William and Yumi was on their way to Professor Hertz's class, they exchanged surprised looks.

"I can't believe she did that! Was that the Sissi Delmas we knew for so long?" Aelita asked, shocked after witnessing Sissi's outburst.

The girl in question was not there; she ran to grab something out of her room and would join them before class.

"Well we always knew she was a good person. Maybe this is just her way of showing it?" Ulrich asked as they approached the classroom.

"Mrs. Stones and Mr. Belpois, may I see you and your friends real quick?"

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them.

The group turned to see Principal Delmas. They wondered what brought Sissi's father to them. Was it the incident with Sissi and Tanell? Or maybe the fact they were skipping class and failing in their grades to save the world? Either way, the sight of the principal approaching them mostly meant trouble, so all four teens swallowed large lumps in their throats and felt their stomachs knot up.

Principal Delmas stared straight at Aelita. His expression was surprisingly a friendly, almost admiring one.

"I'd like to thank you for protecting my daughter during all that."

"You don't need to thank us, sir. We're sorry that we put her in such danger." Odd said in his defense.

"It's alright. She wasn't harmed… thanks to you. Will she be joining you as a hero?"

"Um, to be honest we're not too keen on it. She's welcome as an aid, but being a warrior would be too risky," Ulrich said.

"I'm glad to hear that." Delmas said as he smiled at the teens, who smiled back.

"Good day, Mr. Della Robbia, Mr. Stern." Principal Delmas said as he walked up to Jeremy and Aelita.

"May I have a word with you, Mr. Belpois? And… Miss Schaeffer?"

Aelita's eyes widened as Delmas called her by her real name.

"Sir? What did you say?" Jeremy asked, surprised.

Jean-Pierre lowered his voice. "We have a lot to talk about. I have information that will serve you all. Plus I believe Frank Morse gave you a certain flash drive… But for now I suggest that you hurry off to class and take a few days off from any comic book hero business."

He was about to walk off, but suddenly came to a stop.

"I always wondered where Franz... I mean Waldo ran off to. And where he put the project that the two of us worked on," he whispered, loud enough for the whole group to hear. Then, he walked down the corridor. The four friends stared at him in disbelief.

"Does that mean he was my father's assistant here in France that Frank mentioned?" Aelita asked.

___Later that day at the Hermitage._

The sun began to set off in the distance when the gang gathered around the porch of the old house. They sat on the old wooden steps and enjoyed the beautiful spring landscape, revealed by the final rays of the Sun. Soon it would be summer and the gang would take a long break from school. Ulrich already decided to stay with Yumi for a few weeks in case Xervix attacked. Also, he wanted to spend some more time with his girlfriend.

Then, a familiar black Mustang pulled up to the sidewalk next to the Hermitage. The doors swung open and Travis, George and Jessica stepped out. The men took a few lawn chairs and a cooler out of the trunk.

As the agents were going to act as guards and help to the gang throughout the upcoming months, they gave up on their usual formal suits and were wearing civilian clothing. George was wearing a red Hawaiian like shirt with pineapples all on the sides. He also wore a pair of khaki shorts and flip flops. Jessica wore a white tank top and matching skirt. She carried a white bag with her. Travis wore a black Marvel Avengers movie shirt with a pair of jeans. He removed the black sunglasses from around his face and smiled at the kids on the porch.

"Hello, my heroes. How has it been?" George asked as he walked up and high fived William.

"Pretty good. Our parents took it all better then we thought. My mother still has issues, though." Jeremy said.

"She will get used to it." Travis said as Aelita gave him a friendly hug. Travis glanced down to see Aelita wearing her mother's necklace, together with the small fragment of the System they found in the computer.

"Well, our team is almost complete… Hang on." Jeremy pulled out his cell phone and hit the app called Lyoko Speak.

A picture of Mister Puck plopped up on the screen as George and Ulrich passed out the sodas in the cooler.

"Hi guys." Puck chirped. George and Ulrich turned to look at the small screen and waved hi at the AI.

"Wonder how long it will be till we get our own toy line? Or TV show? Or a movie!" Odd asked in excitement.

Jessica chuckled. "Who knows? You are pretty popular in the US."

"I can already think of a name already. The Adventures of the Amazing, Incredible... Fantastic… Odd Della Robbia!"

Yumi, Ulrich, Sissi, William and George all slapped their foreheads at the same time.

"Looks like George is already fitting right in." Jeremy said as Aelita cracked a grin.

"Hey, don't forget. We're in this story as much as you." Ulrich reminded.

"How about… Garage Kids?" Sissi proposed.

Odd looked at his crush. He changed his mind in an instant. "Hmm, I like that much better! It sounds so…___dark_. And kinda epic, too."

"I thought that was the name you guys called your group?" Jessica asked.

"Maybe...It could go either way." Odd added.

Travis walked up to Jeremy and took a look at Puck.

"Looks like your stuck with us buddy."

"Great..Another day ruined...Maybe multiple days." Puck joked.

"When are your parents supposed to arrive?"

"In half an hour. I think it's a good idea that you meet them if you guys are gonna be working for us." Jeremy said.

"Hey, everyone! How about a toast?" George asked.

The rest of the group nodded as they gathered around and held their soda cans up.

"To Aelita finding redemption... And a boyfriend, as I was told." George said, making Aelita and Jeremy smile and blush. "And to true heroes... And to the hope for a better future."

"I'll drink to that gladly." Jessica said.

The group clanged their cans together and took a long swig from it.

On the cell phone Puck watched in disgust. "YUCK! Human food."

The whole group laughed.

Then George grabbed the small grill from the trunk of the Mustang and started to light it. Meanwhile, Jessica was helping prepare the hot dogs and burgers for the grill.

Puck played a variety of music through the speaker of the phone and enjoyed the sight of his friends having fun. It almost made him yearn to step foot on the real world.

Travis and the kids were playing volleyball with a net and ball that Odd just so happened to pick up at yet another yard sale.

Odd jumped up and spiked the ball hard. Travis hit the ball back, flinging it right back into Odd's arms, causing him to drop it and score a point.

"Lucky shot... Won't happen again." Odd said.

"What happened to those cat like reflexes?" Travis joked.

"Don't tempt me to go purple on you!" Odd joked back.

Jeremy walked over to the cooler to grab a drink. He opened the lid till he realized the door to the Hermitage was wide open. He walked inside and heard a bit of movement upstairs. Jeremy slowly climbed the stairs and peeked into the doorway of a small bedroom. Inside he saw Aelita, who was holding her necklace and looking out the window at the others in the garden.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm looking for a pink haired beauty. Have you seen her?" Jeremy asked as he walked in.

Aelita snorted as she lowered her head and shook it. "Tell me, you got that from Odd?"

Jeremy walked up next to her. "Yeah. I'm not good with words," he admitted.

He wrapped his arm around Aelita's shoulder. "You're worried, aren't you?"

Aelita nodded. "What's going to happen to me now? What if Mal-Tech or Xervix comes for me again?"

Jeremy sighed. The same thoughts were occupying him ever since they came to France. While Xervix and Aether were locked up in the supercomputer and posed a minor threat now, he still had his doubts. And Mal-Tech… now that the existence of their group was revealed to the whole world and they were all over the news, he was sure Mal-Tech was going to go after them. It was only a question of time. The media hubbub would eventually fade and they would strike again.

He of course was not going to share his doubts with Aelita.

"If anyone comes for you, we will stop them. We will fight back, like always."

He tried to reassure Aelita - and himself as well - that with the American agents on their side they were not so defenseless.

"What about my mother? I miss her. And now that I know she's alive… I want to find her," Aelita said with determination.

"I will find your mother and you will see her again face to face. God be my witness," Jeremy said, looking Aelita straight in the eye.

A small tear rolled down Aelita's face as what Jeremy said touched her down to her very soul.

Jeremy placed his palm at the side of Aelita's small fragile face. She truly did look like a angel. He slowly pulled her in for a hug. He tucked his head on her shoulder as she did the same.

"Even if I say... It'll be alright..." Jeremy began to sing.

"Still I hear you say you want to end your life." Aelita sang back quietly.

"Now and again we try..."

"To just stay alive…"

"Maybe we'll turn it around cause it's not too late… It's never too late…" they both sang at the same time.

Aelita pulled back and looked up towards Jeremy. The song reassured her of her bond with him. She could feel The System's imprint on him as well. The crystal shard of The System that she wore on her chest was warm and pulsated in the rhythm of their heartbeats. She still did not fully understand the nature of their connection. Their relationship had a long way before it, not just in that mystical aspect.

However, for the moment being she knew singing their song had another effect. It felt as if the energy of The System that was locked inside her awoke again and gave her courage and confidence she lacked. Her many fears faded as she stood there, clung to Jeremy's chest. She felt stronger, more like her Avatar side that showed in Las Vegas.

Bringing Mal-Tech to justice and freeing her mother appeared within her reach.

Indeed, The New Dawn was upon them.

Credits  
___Written by_  
Optimus304  
(Tyler Dewitt)

___Produced by_  
Tyler Dewitt  
SaliorSedna11  
(Rebecca Engels)

___Beta Readers_  
SaliorSedna11  
Son-Neko  
Memoire-Blanche

___Illustrators_  
SNAKE ALIEN  
DEMONGIRL99  
CODELYOKOFAN92  
A QUEEN OF FAIRIES

___Based Upon_  
Code Lyoko  
___Owned By_  
Moonscoop

___Cast of Characters_ Sharon Mann  
As  
Aelita Schaeffer/ Jeremy Belpois

Matthew Geczy  
As  
Odd Della Robbia

Mirabelle Kirkland

As  
Yumi Ishiyama

Barbra Weber Scaff  
As  
Ulrich Stern

David Gasman

As  
William Dunbar

Jody Forrest  
As  
Sissi Delmas

Paul Bandey  
As  
Franz Hopper

Aaron Eckhart  
As  
Travis Dalesman

Eric Bana  
As  
George Knight

****Kirsten Dunst  
As  
Jessica Hillsabeck**  
**

Jack Nicholson  
As  
Frank Morse

Johnny Yong Bosch  
As  
Mister Puck

Tara Strong  
As  
Antea Schaeffer

Ian McShane  
As  
Xervix

Steven Blum  
As

Aether

Micheal Clark Duncan  
As  
Atlas

Kimberly Brooks  
As  
Chaos

Arleen Sorkin  
As  
Tanell Lewis

_____**Special thanks to:**_**  
**

** memoire-blanche**

** Son-Neko**

** SnakeAlien**

** Demongirl99 **

** DeviantART **

LyokoFreak

Josh Wheadon  
Marvel Comics  
DC Comics  
Warner Brothers Films  
Christopher Nolan  
Xbox  
Nintendo

5-Links  
Tech-links (RIP)  
Steven Spielberg  
Sony  
HP Pavilion  
Wikipedia  
LyokoPedia  
Comedy Central  
Cartoon Network  
The Hub  
Rooster Teeth  
Marlboro cigarettes  
Mountain dew  
And

A special big thanks to all the followers and supporters of this story and those who helped in any shape and form in making this (hopefully) the story the fan base deserves. Sorry for such a long wait. It won't happen again.

This is a proposed season 5/ movie idea.  
This fan fiction is meant to hopefully help people who work on the show or will one day work with it to help make this show a true force to be reckoned with. To be as large a show as Star Trek, Transformers and Star Wars. I Mmake no money or profit off this work. Aelita, William, Jeremy, Sissi, Xana, Franz, Antea, Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd are owned by Moonscoop.

**All others and the scenario are owned by me.**

** The End  
Of  
Code Lyoko: The New Dawn**

** The Gang Will Return  
In  
A proposed Season 6  
CODE LYOKO: THE WORLD WITHOUT FEAR  
**  
_

"Yes sir... The situation went according to plan."

_"____The Prototype has worked, according to the programming we installed on it."_

"Now that the children's existence has been revealed, it's only a matter of time till the world turns on them."

_"____The second plan is underway."_

"NASA has also decided to go to the United Nations to begin work on the Icarus Platform... Since the last asteroid slid past Earth... It will be the perfect bait for them."

_"____Even if the U.S. Government tried to continue with their investigation, they will find Mal-Tech is nothing more than a front."_

"Yes sir. The Human Advancement project is on schedule... Soon all will be right with the world. And we will be the masters of both heaven and hell."

_"____No sir… The former Avatar has no idea about her daughter's progression."_

"The Earth Defense force is not only aware of the child's existence... but also ___our _existence and plans."

_"____Yes sir. Razor is preparing to deal with the monster we mentioned. It's been a thorn in our side for too long. It's only a matter of time till it comes to stop us."_

"We have taken the Mayan prophecy from the records... No one will know of the future events that will transpire, as the ancient civilization has supposedly prophesized."

_"____Area 51 is currently being rebuilt...We have also located Area 52."_

"The other four Supercomputers has been located. And the people who not only run them... But the ones who use them."

_"____I believe that scenario would be a great idea... turning our enemies against each other..."_

"The core is finished."

_"____Very well. I will continue to run the scenario as you have requested... good night, Mr. President."_

___After 3 long years. its finally finished._

New Dawn has been a tough challange for me. trying to come up with New Ideas and new ways of expressing the scenario that has not been done before. Its been a long and grueling struggle but its finally finished.

Make sure you read past the credits.

I wanna thank everyone for reading this and commenting and all the fans out thier who have enjoyed every second of this story.

If thier was ever a part where you where hooked. or you where caught up in the moment of the story, then i have done my job.  
this draws a close to the first chapter of a trilogy. next comes World Without Fear..  
And things will get dark for the gang.

Until i announce a release date please stay tuned.

once again...Thank you.

ALSO COME ON PLEASE LEAVE A FREAKING COMMENT OR 2.. IF YOU FAV POST SOMETHING ABOUT IT!


	42. Chapter 42

**New Dawn Soundtrack**

Hello. Sorry for the long wait but i figured why not give you a little Something

When ever i write New Dawn i usually listen to music that inspires the feel of the story to help guide me. so i figured i would share some of the songs that you might like to listen to.

1. Bleed for me- Saliva

2. Catalyst- Linkin Park

Rest for the Wicked- Elephant

4. Gimme Shelter- Rolling stones

5. Baker Street- foo fighters

6. By the way (Aelitas theme) Hinder

eyes- Shine Down

8. Dont Fear the Reaper (Williams theme) Blue Oyster cult

9. Fortunate son - creedence clear water revival

10. Gotta Be Somebody (Jeremy's theme) - Nickelback

11. Its Not My Time - 3 doors down

12. Joker and the Thief (Odds theme) Wolfmother

Line (Ulrich's theme) Papa roach

14. One By One- Alter Bridge

15. Rain (Yumi's theme) Creed

16. Seize the Day - Avenged Sevenfold

17. Never too Late (Jeremy and Aelita's theme) 3 days grace

18. 21 guns (Yumi and Urlichs theme) Greenday

19. Savior - Skillet

20. Voices (Xervix theme) Rev Theroy

21. Walk. Foo Fighters

Hope you guys like and enjoy


End file.
